Episode 19: Creators, Sport and the Future of Digital Discovery

In Episode 19 of Influencing Outcomes, Nathan Powell, Ben Gunn and special guest co-host Terri Owens unpack three of the biggest stories shaping the creator economy. From FIFA's creator-first World Cup strategy and the NRL's contrasting approach to copyright, through to Google's new Search Profiles and Meta's paid creator subscriptions, the discussion explores how digital platforms are increasingly building creators into the foundations of their products rather than treating them as external participants.

While each story appears unrelated on the surface, together they point to a much larger shift. Creators are no longer simply producing content for platforms. They are becoming part of the infrastructure that drives discovery, fan engagement, search behaviour and commercial growth. For brands, publishers and sporting organisations alike, that changes how audiences are built and how attention is won.

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How Creators Are Redefining Live Sport

For decades, live sport was defined by what happened during the broadcast. Fans tuned in at kick-off, watched the match and moved on until the following week. While discussion existed before and after games, almost all of the commercial value sat inside the live television window.

That model is rapidly changing.

Today's biggest sporting events generate content days before the first whistle and continue long after the final result. Travelling fans, behind-the-scenes access, player interviews, creator reactions, tactical analysis, fan culture and host city experiences have all become part of the entertainment product. Rather than replacing live broadcasts, creators have expanded what live sport actually means. Major tournaments are increasingly becoming always-on entertainment ecosystems rather than isolated 90-minute events.

The FIFA World Cup provides one of the clearest examples of this evolution.

Rather than viewing creators as unofficial commentators operating outside its broadcast agreements, FIFA has actively embedded them into the tournament through extensive partnerships with TikTok and YouTube. Those partnerships extend well beyond publishing highlights. Creators have been given behind-the-scenes access, archive footage, dedicated creator programs and opportunities to produce original content around fan culture, host cities and the broader tournament experience. YouTube has even launched initiatives such as the FIFA Creator Cup, recognising creators as an official part of the event itself.

The strategy reflects an important commercial shift. FIFA appears to have recognised that creator content doesn't compete with the match. It creates more reasons for fans to care about it. Instead of treating social platforms as a threat to broadcast rights, creators are being used to deepen engagement before, during and after every fixture.

The contrast with Australia's National Rugby League is striking.

As reports emerge around a new multi-billion-dollar broadcast rights agreement, the NRL has reportedly increased enforcement against creators using match footage across fan channels and reaction accounts. From a commercial perspective, the reasoning is understandable. Broadcast rights remain one of sport's most valuable assets, and protecting exclusive content is central to maintaining that value.

The question, however, is whether that approach underestimates the role creators now play in growing audiences.

Most creator communities are not attempting to replace the live broadcast. They provide commentary, reaction, analysis and entertainment that keeps the conversation alive throughout the week while introducing the sport to audiences who may never have engaged with it otherwise. In many cases, creators act less like competitors to broadcasters and more like a marketing channel that continually brings new fans into the ecosystem.

Ultimately, FIFA and the NRL are responding to the same shift in audience behaviour but arriving at two very different conclusions. One views creators as a core part of the future distribution model. The other continues to treat them primarily as a risk to the current one.

Creators Are Becoming the New Discovery Layer

The episode then shifts from sport to one of Google's biggest creator announcements in recent years.

Search Profiles allow eligible creators to build dedicated public profiles directly within Google Search, connecting their websites, social channels, storefronts and other digital properties into a single searchable identity.

While the feature may appear relatively small, it signals something much larger.

Google increasingly recognises that users are no longer searching exclusively for information. They are searching for people.

Whether someone wants restaurant recommendations, travel advice, product reviews or educational content, creator recommendations increasingly sit alongside or even above traditional websites.

Rather than attempting to build another social network, Google appears to be strengthening its traditional role as the internet's discovery layer by making creators more visible within search itself.

As AI-generated search continues to evolve, creator identity becomes an increasingly important piece of internet infrastructure rather than simply another social profile.

Trust Is Becoming More Valuable Than Reach

One of the broader themes running throughout the conversation is that recommendation is replacing publication.

Historically, search engines organised websites.

Today, audiences increasingly discover products, destinations, brands and ideas through trusted individuals.

This shift explains why creator content continues to outperform brand-owned content across many campaigns.

People increasingly trust recommendations from individuals they have chosen to follow over messages delivered directly by organisations.

Platforms are responding accordingly.

Whether through Google's Search Profiles or FIFA's creator partnerships, technology companies are increasingly building products around trusted people rather than institutional publishers.

For marketers, understanding this behavioural shift may become more important than understanding any individual platform update.

Meta Signals the Next Evolution of Organic Reach

The episode concludes by examining Meta's introduction of paid creator subscriptions that offer increased visibility across Facebook and Instagram.

For years, brands have accepted that paid promotion is necessary to reach audiences at scale.

Meta's latest announcement suggests creators may now be entering the same commercial environment.

Rather than relying entirely on algorithmic distribution, creators can now purchase additional visibility through recurring subscriptions.

The move raises important questions about the future of organic reach.

If creators increasingly need to pay for distribution, social media begins to resemble the evolution of Google Search itself, where organic visibility has gradually given way to paid prominence.

Whether audiences ultimately embrace that model remains to be seen.

History suggests platforms must balance monetisation carefully to avoid reducing the quality of the user experience that made them successful in the first place.

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