The Reading Garden: 4/25/25
What We’re Reading, and Why It Matters to Legacy Media
Welcome back to the Reading Garden, where every Friday we spotlight three must-read pieces we're paying attention to and explore what they mean for legacy media.
Let’s get into it…
The title basically gives away the punchline, but the details are worth unpacking… Researchers gave two groups the same AI-generated short story. One group was told it was AI, and the other wasn’t. Then, halfway through, the participants were asked if they’d give up part of their compensation to keep reading.
Unsurprisingly, the group that knew it was AI judged the story more harshly. But here’s the twist: both groups were equally willing to spend money and time to finish reading it.
It’s worth mentioning that attitudes toward AI are still evolving, so who knows where all of this will end up. Either way, this is pretty shocking for those of us in legacy media. We keep hearing that people will reject (or at least care less about) AI works since they lack soul, but what if people are unwilling to put their money where their beliefs are?
We recently covered this topic in a long form article, and this Guardian piece just confirms the growing ambition of creators to expand beyond the areas they’ve already dominated (social media) with players like Netflix more than happy to provide the runway…
But established creators are going far beyond streamers, building businesses like trading cards, restaurants, snacks, merch, and more. This creator gold rush is only expected to continue: MIDiA predicts that there will be an estimated 696 million video creators by 2031, up from 239 million in 2022.
Will all this end in a bubble? Perhaps. But one thing is certain. The creator migration to legacy media is in its early innings, and those in Hollywood who figure out how to best work with them will come out ahead.
One interesting way creators are migrating into TV is by landing on FAST channels, and Mike Shields over at Next in Media has the rundown.
The thesis behind the move is interesting: FASTs are filling the old need for cable. No decisions, no scrolling, just turn it on and let it play. And as the abundantly cited Deloitte study shows, younger consumers are willing to follow their favorite online creators to more traditional content.
But there are tradeoffs. FAST channels don’t give creators the same instant feedback or analytics. Still, the migration continues, and it raises bigger questions… Will FASTs evolve into a YouTube alternative? Or will YouTube beat them to the finish and set up its own linear experience? Time will tell, but keep a close eye on this space.
See you next week.
love this, as always