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Amazon is launching dedicated Creator Hub to Fire TV this summer, creating a new section for videos and podcasts from digital creators to expand beyond social media and into connected TV.
The feature was announced on
Monday morning during Cannes Lions aboard Amazon’s swanky yacht.
More than 120 creators are already available on Fire TV, where users can watch new videos from the likes of Dude Perfect, Jordan Matter, and Ben Azelart on the same day they go live on YouTube. The new hub, unveiled by Charlotte Maines, Amazon’s VP of devices content and advertising, will now give that programming – including the latest content from MrBeast, Topper Guild, Celine Dept and 5-Minute Crafts.– more visibility inside the Fire TV interface. Amazon expects to hit 200 Creators in July and over 500 by next year, the company said at Cannes Lions.
Maines told Variety that the launch reflects the company’s attempt to address a discovery issue tied to the rising volume of creator content. As such, Amazon will be adding features allowing users to select their favorite creators so their videos surface more prominently.
“Part of my job is waking up every morning and seeing what customers are doing on our devices — what kind of content matters to them, what they’re engaging with — and that informs the product choices and experiences we ultimately build for those customers,” Maines said. “Creator content couldn’t be more important to customers these days. And there’s just more and more of it. While that’s awesome, it also means it’s harder and harder to find the content you want, and harder and harder for creators to get in front of customers who might want to see their content.”
The launch comes as Amazon has been investing in creator and podcast content across Fire TV, Prime Video, Alexa and Art19. The company has also started backing original creator and podcast-led programming, including “Cup Classics,” a FIFA World Cup show hosted by U.K. football creator Jeremy Lynch, as well as “Daily Cup,” produced with The Athletic FC, and sports programming with the Locked On podcast network around March Madness and college football.
Maines said Fire TV’s position as a device platform gives Amazon a different route into creator discovery than a standalone app.
“What we’re trying to do is take an experience that today you’d need to go to YouTube for, and leverage what we know about the logged-in customer to create another way for creators to get in front of customers with the tools that we have — including the fact that we manage device operating systems,” Maines said.
The Creator Hub also speaks to a wider shift. Creator content has traditionally been associated with mobile and social platforms, but companies including Amazon are increasingly looking at how that material fits into the living-room experience and can appeal to a wide demo beyond younger audiences.
