If you have what the public wants, YouTube might just make you rich. The platform rewards its top creators handsomely. We already marveled at PewDiePie's $7 million back in 2014, but beyond ad revenue, you have to factor in external deals and merchandise sales. So who earned the most last year? A seven-year-old boy who does toy reviews…
Nearly confirmed as "the new television", YouTube continues to gain viewers, to the detriment of traditional entertainment channels. The classic TV industry's refusal to adapt is showing in viewership, quantity, and programme quality, while YouTube reports more than two billion monthly active users.
The video above was published in April 2016 and has nearly 1.65 billion views. All Ryan does is run to an inflatable castle, take out plastic eggs, open them, and enjoy the toys inside. According to Forbes, Ryan of Ryan ToysReview earned $22 million between June 2017 and June 2018, presenting his audience with a mix of unboxings, reviews, and other curious situations.
Of those $22 million, 95 percent came from advertising on his two channels (the other being Ryan's Family Review). The remaining one million came from sponsored posts, a relatively low number compared to other super-YouTubers, but the situation has changed. Some of his channel's content is already being prepared for Hulu and Amazon. His family also signed a deal with the studio Pocket.watch, and the icing on the cake is the Ryan's World toy line, sold exclusively at Walmart. In other words, his earnings are about to explode next year.
Under the law, 15 percent of Ryan ToysReview's earnings must go to what is known as a “Coogan account” to protect part of the child's income, and Ryan will be able to access the full amount once he reaches adulthood.
And what about other YouTubers? Despite controversy and scandals, both the Paul brothers (Jake ranks second with $21.5 million) and PewDiePie remain in the top 10, and the Dude Perfect team closes out the podium with $20 million. All amounts are before deductions, meaning they do not account for taxes, agents, secondary expenses, and other details.
The complete top 10, courtesy of the BBC and Forbes.
