Abu Dhabi, UAE: 

Gospel Stats, the industry’s first dedicated intelligence platform for YouTube sponsorships, officially launched today at BRIDGE 2025, unveiling new data that reshapes the understanding of how brands invest in creators and capture cultural attention on YouTube.

Developed by the team behind Tubefilter and the Streamy Awards, Gospel Stats tracks sponsorship activity across tens of millions of creators, bringing rare transparency to one of the fastest-growing sectors in digital marketing: direct brand integrations inside creator content.

The launch at BRIDGE reinforces the Summit’s role as a global convening point for data, innovation, and dealmaking in the future of media and the creator economy.

A Surging Sponsorship Economy on YouTube

The inaugural YouTube Sponsorship Landscape Report finds that creator sponsorships have become the fastest-growing driver of YouTube monetization, with 65,759 sponsored videos in H1 2025, a 53.9 percent increase year-on-year.

While Wall Street tracks Google-run pre-roll and mid-roll ads, an equally powerful economy is emerging outside the exchange: brand dollars that embed directly into culture through creators.

Key findings include:

  • 65,759 sponsored videos in H1 2025, up 53.9%
  • 19.1 billion views on sponsored videos, up 27.9%
  • Growth driven by mid-tier creators, signaling scalability beyond viral elites
  • Ground News ranks #1 sponsor with 1,862 integrations, up 202%
  • Shopify invests widely, using sponsorships to maintain frequency without repetition fatigue

The data marks a shift from celebrity-centric sponsorships toward systematic, scalable creator strategies that mirror the logic of paid media channels.

A Parallel Ad Economy Is Emerging

According to Gospel Stats, sponsorships are no longer experimental. They are becoming an always-on channel directing brand dollars into creator ecosystems at scale.“The most successful marketing on YouTube is not even counted as official advertising by Google,” said Drew Baldwin, founder of Gospel Stats. “Sponsorships are now the connective tissue between media buying and community building, and the numbers prove it.”

Industry analysts describe this as a parallel ad economy, where hundreds of millions in brand spend bypass traditional reporting frameworks. For investors, this signals that YouTube monetization is larger than what appears in earnings calls. For marketers, it reframes sponsorships as a repeatable, measurable channel, not a scattershot influencer tactic.

“Brands are moving inside creator ecosystems to turn frequency into cultural relevance,” said Nick Cicero, Founder and CEO of Mondo Metrics. “On TV you bought more spots. On YouTube you buy more creators. That scales authenticity in a way traditional media never could.”

Early Adoption and Market Momentum

Ahead of today’s launch, Gospel Stats has been working with brands seeking competitive clarity in creator sponsorships.

One early customer is Underdog Fantasy Sports, one of the fastest-growing sports media companies in the United States. “Gospel Stats gives us visibility into the landscape so we can spend smarter and show up authentically in the right communities,” said Liam Roecklein, SVP of Content and Partnerships.

Another customer, Leveraged Media, uses the platform to shift budgets from interruptive formats to native integrations. “With Gospel Stats, marketers can see where sponsorship dollars are flowing and scale creator partnerships with precision,” said Ian Borthwick, CEO.

About Gospel Stats

Gospel Stats is the leading source for YouTube sponsorship intelligence. The platform uses proprietary technology to track brand deals across tens of millions of creators, revealing who is spending, where, and with what impact. Built on nearly two decades of industry expertise, Gospel Stats equips agencies to make sharper decisions, helps brands outmaneuver competitors, and accelerates the growth of the creator economy through transparency and insight.

For more information, visit get.gospelstats.com. To download the report, visit get.gospelstats.com/reports

Attached Images:

1-3 | Drew Baldwin, founder of Gospel Stats, during the press conference at BRIDGE Summit 2025.