The consumption of influencers in Catalan skyrockets by 70%

BarcelonaThe consumption of digital content in Catalan has skyrocketed: in 2025, views of posts in Catalan have grown by 72% compared to the previous year. Consumption is even growing more than production, which increased but much less, by 31%, according to a study by Accent Obert that ARA has had access to. "Such massive growth is due to the fact that we are in a development process that still has no ceiling. A digital industry in Catalan is being born, and it is in a very clear boom," points out Albert Lloreta, producer and expert at Accent Obert. There are 1,260 active projects in Catalan that have achieved a total of 25 million followers. The number of influencers has grown, but what has grown above all is the continuity and intensity of dedication to digital projects.

The significant rise took place in 2024, the moment when the foundations of this sector, which was in its infancy, were laid. Administrations have made an effort to feed it with the Generalitat's Propulsió Grants and the pioneering Digital Creation House of the Barcelona City Council. Showcases have emerged such as Llista.cat itself and the Crit Awards, which are celebrating their second edition this Thursday. And entities, institutions, and companies have also opted for digital creation in Catalan, "not just Estrella Damm," assures Lloreta. "Five years ago this was science fiction. Now infrastructure is starting to emerge and we will see the fruits, but initially it is positive for building a mature, consolidated, and stable market," he adds.

Few accounts with many followers

of the Barcelona City Council. Showcases such as the The ecosystem is pyramidal, with less than 4% of projects having more than 100,000 followers – such as Ada Parellada, Cabrafotuda, Juliana Canet, Can Putades, Iaia Angeleta, or Iaia Atòmica – and 60% of accounts having fewer than 5,000 followers. However, the projects that concentrate 3 out of every 4 views are those with more than 20,000 followers. Does this allow influencers to dedicate themselves to it professionally? "These are average figures, which means the market is open and receptive. Perhaps they cannot dedicate themselves exclusively to it, but they have the capacity to maintain and consolidate their projects," points out Lloreta.

Reaching and surpassing the ceiling of 100,000 followers is very difficult. "It happens in all languages. Global statistics indicate that creators with more than 1 million followers represent 1% of the total," says the expert. The objective would be to grow the middle class of creators to achieve a diverse and healthy ecosystem.

Influencer Profile

Taking stock, the Catalan content creator is an individual project (3 out of 4 are), by a man or woman living in Catalonia (like 87% of creators). Most have an emerging profile (under 5,000 followers), active (with 13-14 monthly posts) and multiplatform (9 out of 10 creators are on Instagram, 7 out of 10 on TikTok and only half have a presence on YouTube). The main topics of conversation are lifestyles and society, followed by humor. On the other hand, those that are increasing their audience the most are manga/anime, art, literature, video games, knowledge and language.

One of the pending issues is to decouple the idea that digital content is for young people. It is true that TikTok is growing by 16%, but Instagram is the predominant network, and the most followed accounts show that there is a very transversal market willing to consume content. The other pending issue is to break the dependence on Instagram, where videos can be made more easily and quickly produced. "Digital creation in Catalan has its own way of working, which doesn't happen in other languages," admits Albert Lloreta. An example is YouTube, where the Catalan creator is residual, because when the ecosystem was configured there were few streamers and few classic youtubers, vertical video was the dominant format and platforms like Eva on Instagram and the whole world of podcasts have emerged.

The sector expects to overcome the prejudices that still exist about the quality and depth of digital content. At Accent Obert, they believe it should be connected with traditional industries, such as the world of art, cinema and books. A large part of society is already overcoming the cliché: "There is a lot of interest from organizations, foundations, social movements in digital content; in Catalan, this interaction is not as marked by the private sector as by civil society, which is not bad, because it ensures richer ideas and imaginations," points out the Accent Obert expert.