By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The children’s entertainment company pocket.watch has been named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2025, a recognition of its role in reshaping the creator economy and redefining how young audiences engage with digital content.
It’s a huge honor for a relatively young company, but also recognizes the role of pocket.watch in an ongoing transformation of the entertainment ecosystem.
Founded in 2017, pocket.watch has built its reputation as a pioneer in the kids and family creator media space, turning YouTube creators into globally recognized entertainment franchises.
Today, the company works with 59 digital creators who collectively reach over 1.3 billion subscribers and have generated nearly one trillion lifetime views.
Among its best-known partners are Ryan’s World, consistently ranked as the most-watched YouTuber by children ages 3 to 9 in the United States. Another pocket.watch phenomenon is Diana, the most followed girl on YouTube globally; and Toys and Colors, the platform’s leading ensemble kids channel.
TIME’s selection highlights pocket.watch’s track record of innovation across entertainment, tech, and merchandise. According to Time, the company was the first to:
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Launch an Emmy-nominated series starring a YouTube creator
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Debut a creator-branded toy line at Walmart
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Introduce a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon based on a digital star
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Distribute the largest number of creator-led series and specials on Hulu
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Release a theatrical film led by a digital creator to cinemas nationwide
In the past year, pocket.watch also introduced a personalized merchandise platform, powered by generative AI, and also developed a contextual ad targeting system designed specifically for YouTube Kids.
To date, pocket.watch has generated over $100 million in payouts to its creator partners, which not only shows its impact as a content studio, but also demonstrates how pocket.watch has become a cornerstone of the digital creator economy.
The full TIME100 Most Influential Companies list is available at time.com/100companies.