For many content creators, the recent changes at YouTube mean the end of a long love story. But others have amassed a level of popularity that allows them to keep living the fantasy, earning eight-figure annual incomes in dollars. With only five days left for 2019 to end, a classic question returns to us: Who were the ones who earned the most money on YouTube? Below, the Top 10.
Before we begin, we must acknowledge a small detail: YouTube may be the most important online video platform, but it is not the only one. In fact, many YouTubers today use YouTube as a simple showcase, and invite users to visit their profiles on Twitch, which has some more polished elements (for example, the donation system).
Now, that does not mean it is impossible to make money with YouTube. While we cannot deny that the so-called “adpocalypse” (which began in 2016) annihilated the income of thousands of channels, it is not difficult to find profiles that, in addition to escaping any controversy, also receive millions of dollars in income. Forbes published a list with the Top 10 YouTubers with the highest earnings in 2019. All figures are “pre-deductions”, that is, they do not include taxes, agents or lawyers, and cover the period between June 2018 and June 2019.
Anastasia Radzinskaya is part of the Top 3 according to Forbes.
- Ryan Kaji: 26 million dollars
- Dude Perfect: 20 million dollars
- Anastasia Radzinskaya: 18 million dollars
- Rhett and Link: 17.5 million dollars
- Jeffree Star: 17 million dollars
- Preston Arsement: 16 million dollars
- PewDiePie: 13 million dollars
- Markiplier: 13 million dollars
- DanTDM: 12 million dollars
- VanossGaming: 11.5 million dollars
The YouTuber who earned the most money in 2019 is again Ryan Kaji, and I say “again” because he already claimed that privilege last year when he reached the sum of 22 million dollars. The classic unboxing is behind him, and now he focuses more on experiments, but with an exclusive line of toys, a show on Nickelodeon and a special deal with Hulu, young Ryan is a true star.
The second place belongs to Dude Perfect, a channel that at this point needs no introduction. Their tricks and skill tests are truly impressive, and with almost 50 million subscribers, it is logical to say that their quality has not diminished at all.
And in third place, well... who is this young YouTuber? Anastasia Radzinskaya is five years old, was born in Krasnodar (Russia), and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, but activities with her parents have become irresistible to millions of people through her six channels. Anastasia offers videos in seven languages, a factor that has allowed her to expand her reach notably. Brands like Legoland and Dannon (Danone) have invested six-figure sums to work with her.
The rest are old acquaintances, perhaps with the exception of Preston Arsement. This YouTuber accumulates billions of views on his channels (with “Preston” and “TBNRFrags” being the most important), and quickly positions himself as a candidate for the Top 3 in 2020.
In summary, those who earn millions on YouTube will probably keep doing so, and although it is not impossible to reach that level, the truth is that the platform does not make things easy. For every one of these monsters, millions of YouTubers have failed...
Source: Forbes
