The Video Advertising Bureau today published a 22-page report that breaks its June 2026 creator survey down by ethnicity. In the report, 53% of Black respondents who follow online creators say they would be more likely to buy a brand advertised in, or integrated into, a TV or streaming show featuring a creator they follow. The figure for all followers is 43%. The full survey covered 1,600 people. The Black subgroup behind the headline numbers contains 122 respondents.

In Short

A TV industry group asked people whether seeing an internet creator they like on a TV show would make them more interested in the brands in that show, and then compared the answers of Hispanic, Black and white viewers. Hispanic and Black respondents were more likely to follow creators at all, and Black respondents gave the most positive answers about buying and recommending. The numbers describe what people say they would do, and some of the groups are small, so they are evidence of interest, not proof of sales.

What VAB released

The report is titled "Creating Credibility: How Premium Video Enhances the Connection Between Digital Creators and Diverse Audiences." According to VAB, it was "conducted in partnership with Hub Entertainment Research" and draws on "a June 2026 online survey of 1,600 respondents, ages 16-74." The release is dated October 15, 2026, New York. The PDF carries a notice on every page: "This information is exclusively provided to VAB members and qualified marketers."

None of the underlying data is new. VAB calls the document a "companion piece" to "Expanding the Creator-Verse: Why Digital Creators Are Embracing Premium Video Platforms," which came out in August. The footnotes in both trace to the same source: "VAB custom research fielded by Hub Entertainment Research as part of the 2026 How to Monetize Video report." When the August report appeared, PPC Land's coverage of that first cut reported overall followers as 50% more likely to notice a brand, 48% more likely to consider it, 52% more likely to search for it, 43% more likely to buy it and 41% more likely to tell a friend, broken down by age. All five totals reappear in the October report unchanged. The only change is that the respondents are now split by ethnicity: Hispanic, Black and non-Hispanic white.

Throughout the slides, the base is people who follow online content creators: 889 respondents, unweighted. Within that group there are 193 Hispanic respondents, 122 non-Hispanic Black respondents and 505 non-Hispanic white respondents. The charts label the second group "Black," while the footnotes say "Non-Hispanic Black." VAB gives no figures for Asian American respondents or for any other group, and the three subgroups sum to 820, which leaves 69 followers who appear in the totals but in none of the breakouts.

Who follows creators

The report opens with its headline finding. According to VAB, 71% of Hispanic respondents and 64% of Black respondents follow at least one digital creator. Among all respondents aged 16 and over the figure is 55%, and among non-Hispanic white respondents it is 50%. "Digital creators are an important source of entertainment for Hispanic and Black audiences as they are both much more likely than the average population to actively follow at least one creator," VAB writes on the second page.

The footnote on that slide reads oddly. It says the data is "based on respondents who follow online content creators (n=889 (unweighted))," but a share of people who follow creators cannot be computed from a sample made up only of people who follow creators. The arithmetic suggests the follow rate comes from all 1,600 respondents: 889 divided by 1,600 is 55.6%, which matches the 55% total. The footnote seems to have been copied unchanged from the slides that come after it. It does not affect the numbers, but it is one of several signs that the deck was put together from templates.

The other slides use the 889 followers. Every subsequent percentage, including the credibility rankings and the purchase figures, describes only the people who already follow at least one creator.

How respondents see creators

The question was: "Which of the following best describes how you think of online creators / influencers today?" "Entertainers" came first in every group: 56% of Hispanic respondents, 51% of Black respondents, 55% of non-Hispanic white respondents and 54% of all followers.

The rest of the ranking differs by group. Among Black respondents, "media brands" came second at 32%. In every other group it came third or lower: 28% among Hispanic respondents and 29% among non-Hispanic white respondents. For Hispanic respondents, "storytellers" made the top five at 27%, against 25% among Black respondents and 21% among non-Hispanic white respondents. Respondents could pick more than one answer, which is why the columns add up to more than 100%.

The full list in the appendix contains a gap the summary slide leaves out. Only 15% of Hispanic respondents chose "feels like a friend / neighbor," compared with 24% of Black respondents and 24% of non-Hispanic white respondents. The idea that creators are parasocial friends is common in pitches to advertisers, and in this survey it is weakest in the group most likely to follow creators. The appendix also lists "trusted experts" at 16% to 18% and "community builders" at 14% to 17% across the three groups.

The summary charts are headed "Top 5 Selections by Age Demo," the same subtitle used in the August report, which was broken down by age. These charts are broken down by ethnicity. It looks like a template error. It does not change the data.

What makes a creator credible

The second question was: "Which of the following makes an online creator / influencer feel more established or credible?" The answers are where the subgroups differ most, and VAB's headline for the slide is "Authenticity and high production quality builds credibility with Hispanics while brand partnerships builds credibility among Black audiences."

According to VAB, Hispanic respondents put "authentic, active community presence" first at 40% and "higher production quality" second at 37%. "Expertise / knowledge" came third for them at 31%. That is the lowest score for expertise in any group and well below the 43% among non-Hispanic white respondents, for whom expertise ranked first. Black respondents also put expertise first, at 38%, and production quality second at 34%. Then came authentic community presence at 31%, consistent posting at 29% and "partnerships with brands" at 28%.

The 28% for brand partnerships is the number the release highlights. It is also the clearest difference in the data. Among Hispanic respondents and non-Hispanic white respondents the figure is 21%. Black followers name brand deals as a credibility signal seven percentage points more often than either of the other groups. The August report found partnerships in the top five only among 16 to 24 year olds, at 27%.

The appendix contains a figure that VAB's own argument has to deal with. "Appearing in TV or streaming programs" was chosen by 22% of Hispanic respondents, 24% of Black respondents and 21% of non-Hispanic white respondents. "Partnerships with media / entertainment companies" scored 21%, 23% and 18%. These are the two options closest to what premium video platforms offer creators, and in all three groups both rank below production quality, authenticity, expertise and consistent posting. The report's case is that TV improves the things viewers value, such as production values. The survey does not show that viewers value the TV appearance itself.

The full credibility list in the appendix has a labeling problem. Its footnote cites "VABQ1: Which of the following best describes how you think of online creators / influencers today?" That is the wording of the first question, not the credibility question it sits under. The summary version of the same chart cites the correct question, VABQ2.

The funnel questions

The core of the report is one question asked five times: "If an online creator or influencer you follow appeared on a TV or streaming show, how likely would their involvement make you take the following actions for brands advertising in, or integrated into, the show?" Answers were given on a five-point scale, from 1 (much less likely) to 5 (much more likely). VAB reports the top two boxes against the bottom two and expresses the result as a multiple. VAB maps the five actions onto awareness, consideration, intent, sales and advocacy.

There are two things to keep in mind when reading the multiples. First, the question is hypothetical. It asks how respondents think they would react if a creator they follow turned up on a show, not what they did after seeing one. Second, the middle box is left out, so a large share of respondents in each group said the creator would make no difference. For overall followers on purchase, 43% said more likely and 18% less likely, so 39% were neutral.

Attention

According to VAB, 59% of Black respondents say they would be more likely to "pay attention to the brand or product" in such a show, and 20% say less likely. That gives a ratio of 2.9 to 1. Among Hispanic respondents the figures are 49% and 22%, or 2.2 to 1. Among non-Hispanic white respondents they are 48% and 14%, or 3.3 to 1, and among all followers 50% and 17%, or 3 to 1.

Consideration

On considering the brand, Black respondents again score highest: 57% more likely, 20% less likely, 2.8 to 1. Hispanic respondents come in at 45% against 21% (2.1 to 1), non-Hispanic white respondents at 46% against 15% (3.2 to 1), and all followers at 48% against 17% (2.8 to 1).

Search for the brand online gives the widest ratios in the report. According to VAB, 56% of Black respondents would be more likely to search and 16% less likely, which is 3.5 to 1. The Hispanic figures are 52% and 16%, or 3.2 to 1. Non-Hispanic white respondents reach 51% against 12%, or 4.3 to 1, and the total is 52% against 13%, or 4 to 1. The intent stage is the one most relevant to search marketers, because it describes a viewer moving from a TV screen to a search box. If the stated behavior turns into real behavior, paid search and organic listings would pick up some of the response to creator-led TV.

Purchase

This is the slide the release is built around. According to VAB, 53% of Black respondents say they would be more likely to buy a brand or product advertised or integrated into a show featuring a creator they follow, and 18% say less likely. That is 3 to 1. For Hispanic respondents the figures are 45% and 21% (2.2 to 1), for non-Hispanic white respondents 40% and 18% (2.2 to 1), and for all followers 43% and 18% (2.4 to 1).

Advocacy

On telling a friend about the brand, 49% of Black respondents say more likely and 18% less likely (2.7 to 1). Hispanic respondents come in at 47% against 19% (2.4 to 1), non-Hispanic white respondents at 38% against 19% (2 to 1), and all followers at 41% against 19% (2.2 to 1).

What the ratios hide

Hispanic respondents follow creators more than any other group, yet on four of the five measures their ratios are lower than the total. On attention, consideration and search the share saying "more likely" is about the same as or below the total, and the share saying "less likely" is the highest of any group, from 21% to 22% on attention, consideration and purchase. The release mentions the 45% Hispanic purchase figure and leaves out the 21% negative. In this data, Hispanic followers are both the group that follows creators most and the group most likely to say a creator's TV appearance would put them off a brand.

The Black subgroup shows the strongest positive answers. It also has the smallest sample. VAB publishes no margin of error. A standard calculation for a simple random sample of 122 gives roughly plus or minus 9 percentage points at 95% confidence, and roughly plus or minus 7 points for 193. That calculation is PPC Land's, not VAB's, and online panels are not random samples, so the real uncertainty may be larger. With intervals that wide, a 53% Black purchase figure and a 45% Hispanic figure overlap. The direction of the gaps is consistent across all five stages, which counts for more than any single number.

How VAB reads it

Karolina Guillen, associate director of insights, strategy and analytics at VAB, is quoted in the release. "When trusted digital creators appear in premium video environments, their voices resonate widely and meaningfully, creating scale and ultimately driving engagement and outcomes for advertisers," she said. "Premium Video Platforms deliver the high production quality, authenticity and ability to develop strong brand partnerships - all of which help establish and elevate the credibility of digital creators across Hispanic and Black audiences."

The report lists three "Key Marketer Takeaways." The first says creators let brands "authentically engage with Hispanic and Black audiences." The second repeats Guillen's point that premium platforms supply production quality, authenticity and partnerships. The third says Black and Hispanic audiences "are more likely to become 'brand advocates' and talk to others about products advertised in TV and streaming programs that feature a digital creator they follow." The credits page names Jason Wiese, executive vice president of strategic insights and measurement, Guillen and Amanda Cashman, insights analyst, as the report's authors.

VAB is a trade body. Its members include, in its own words, "premium multiscreen TV providers and distributors, alongside a broader community of influential media companies." The report argues that creator money should flow through those members' platforms, and the question was written to test exactly that scenario. No control condition appears in the deck. Nobody was asked whether the same creator in a social video would have the same effect, so the survey cannot separate what the creator adds from what the TV setting adds.

The platforms named in the report

One slide, under the headline "Premium Video Platforms have launched studios and content hubs to connect diverse digital creators with their high-value audiences," reproduces six trade press headlines. They show how TV companies have moved into creator programming:

  • April 27, 2022: TelevisaUnivision launched Así Studios, "connecting brands with U.S. Hispanics" (Campaign).
  • November 26, 2025: NBCUniversal's Creator Accelerator Program brings TikTok talent to Peacock "with support from partners such as Telemundo Studios and Tandem Pictures" (Boardroom).
  • March 30, 2026: Paramount says BET has launched The Creator Studio, with "The Jason Lee Show" set to premiere on April 8 as the flagship series of a new digital-first platform.
  • April 28, 2026: Tubi presents its latest slate of exclusive creator series.
  • May 20, 2026: Roku builds a dedicated creator content hub and adds more FAST channels (StreamTV Insider).
  • August 4, 2026: ESPN names its fourth "Creator Network" class.

Three of the six are aimed at Hispanic or Black audiences through brands owned by TV networks: TelevisaUnivision, Telemundo and BET. That helps explain why VAB, whose members own those networks, wants evidence that creator deals work with the same viewers.

PPC Land has covered other moves of this kind. In April, Jomboy Media got its own round-the-clock channel on FuboTV, the first time a sports streamer built a linear channel around a creator-led company. In June, PubMatic opened a Creator Marketplace giving creator media companies access to programmatic streaming TV buying, with MeatEater as the launch partner. A few weeks before that, Spotter's data put the reach of about 6,600 YouTube creator channels in the same range as prime-time television, with 52% of that viewing on connected TVs.

Why this matters for marketers

Money in the creator economy is moving toward the television screen from both sides. IAB puts US creator advertising spend at $44 billion for 2026, and at the same time brands have been paying to amplify creator posts that already perform instead of only commissioning new ones. Premium video owners want part of that budget. The VAB report is their argument, aimed at multicultural planners, for why some of it should go through their CTV and linear inventory.

VAB has made a similar audience argument before. In June, PPC Land covered a VAB report showing that TV beat social media with Black audiences on measures such as laughing out loud and setting time aside to watch. That study used 228 Black respondents from a December 2023 survey. Nielsen's January 2026 Diverse Intelligence Series found that 67% of Black consumers pay more attention to ads in media that reflect their culture, against 46% of the overall population. On the Hispanic side, Nielsen reported in September 2025 that Hispanic viewers spend 55.8% of their TV time on streaming, against 46% for the total population. LG Ad Solutions' 2024 survey of more than 1,400 Hispanic CTV users found that 78% prefer CTV to traditional TV.

The October report adds two findings to that body of evidence. Hispanic and Black consumers follow creators at higher rates than the population as a whole. And Black followers in particular say creator appearances on TV would push them along the funnel, more strongly than other groups. Media planners who build multicultural plans will find the follow-rate numbers easy to use, because they rest on the full sample.

The purchase and advocacy figures are weaker evidence. They are stated intentions in response to a hypothetical, from a subgroup of 122 people, in a survey commissioned by a trade group that represents the platforms that benefit from the conclusion. That does not make them wrong. It does put them below a sales lift study, and VAB's own "Sales" label on the purchase slide claims more than the question measured. The same survey also contains a figure VAB did not put in its headlines: the most creator-engaged group is also the most likely to say a creator's TV appearance would make them less interested in a brand.

None of this tells planners how to pay for creator TV integrations. The report does not cover pricing, frequency, ad formats or the difference between a creator hosting a show and a creator appearing in a 30-second spot. The question bundles "advertising in" and "integrated into" the show, so sponsorship of a whole show and a single ad slot inside it are counted as one thing. Buyers who want to know which of those performs better will not find the answer in these 22 pages. VAB's August report and its September deck on fan engagement do not give that answer either.

Release and report checked against each other

Every figure in the release matches the report: the follow rates (71%, 64%, 55%), the credibility answers (40% and 37% Hispanic, 28% Black), purchase intent (53%, 45%, 43%) and advocacy (49%, 47%, 41%). The release leaves out the non-Hispanic white figures, which on several measures (attention, consideration and search ratios) are as strong as or stronger than the Hispanic ones, as well as every "less likely" figure. It also refers to "Premium Platforms" in one paragraph and "Premium Video Platforms" in another. The deck has three labeling errors and no data errors: a follow-rate footnote that names the wrong base, the "by Age Demo" subtitle on ethnic breakdowns, and an appendix chart footnoted with the wrong question.

Timeline

Summary

Who: The Video Advertising Bureau, a US trade body for TV and streaming companies, with fieldwork by Hub Entertainment Research. The report was written by Jason Wiese, Karolina Guillen and Amanda Cashman, and Guillen is quoted in the release.

What: A 22-page report, "Creating Credibility," that breaks the June 2026 creator survey down by Hispanic, Black and non-Hispanic white respondents. It finds creator follow rates of 71%, 64% and 50% against 55% overall. Among followers, 53% of Black respondents and 45% of Hispanic respondents say they would be more likely to buy brands in TV shows featuring a creator they follow, against 43% overall, based on subgroups of 122 and 193.

When: Released today, October 15, 2026. The survey was fielded in June 2026, and the overall and age results were published on August 11, 2026.

Where: United States. The online survey covered 1,600 respondents aged 16 to 74, and the release was issued from New York.

Why: TV and streaming companies are building creator studios and hubs aimed at Hispanic and Black audiences, and VAB wants advertisers to move creator budgets onto premium video inventory. The data shows higher creator engagement in both groups, but the purchase figures are hypothetical stated intentions from small subsamples, and the TV setting was not tested against a control.