YouTube has become one of the most popular platforms for content creators to showcase their talents and earn a living doing what they love. From makeup tutorials to gaming videos, there is a channel for everyone on YouTube.
But have you ever wondered who the top creators are and how much they earn? While that information is not public, we can estimate how much the most popular YouTubers make from ad revenue on their channels.
Whether you’re an aspiring content creator or simply curious about the world of YouTube, this list is sure to give you some insight into the platform’s biggest stars. So without further ado, let’s dive in and see who’s on top of the YouTube game!
Curious how much your favorite YouTubers are making?
BonusInsider searched for the top 10 most subscribed YouTube channels and investigated how much revenue they have generated since the start. All the data in this article is current as of November 2022.
10 Most Popular YouTube Channels
1. T-Series
233 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 207Bn
Total revenue: $408M
T-Series is an Indian music label and film production company that started to leverage YouTube in 2010. With over 207Bn total views across all its videos, T-Series sits firmly as the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world. It was the first YouTube channel to surpass 100 million subscribers in 2019. The channel is renowned for its excellently executed music videos and film trailers.
2. Cocomelon Nursery Rhymes
151 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 114Bn
Total Revenue: $282M
Created in 2006, the children’s educational channel Cocomelon provides videos surrounding nursery rhymes. First known as Checkmate, it rebranded itself in 2018 to Cocomelon and changed the logo to a watermelon-style TV. Now the channel has Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, German and Arabic content. Total views are over 114Bn.
3. SET India
149 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 133Bn
Total revenue: $263M
Sony Entertainment Television has over 133Bn views across all of its videos. It consists mainly of videos highlighting moments from the Hindi Sony Entertainment Television shows and films. The TV show provides family entertainment, which has translated nicely onto YouTube as viewers can capture snippets of popular shows.
4. MrBeast
127 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 18Bn
Total revenue: $46M
MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, is a 24-year-old American YouTuber who makes iconic stunt videos. MrBeast is the most subscribed individual on the platform and began posting in 2012 at just 13 years old. With a team of 30 now running the channel, he is currently the highest-earning creator on the platform. His videos have accumulated over 18Bn views on his main channel.
5. PewDiePie
111 Million Subscribers.
Total Overall Views: 28Bn
Total revenue: $64M
Once the most subscribed channel on YouTube, PewDiePie was one of the fastest-growing channels between 2010 and 2013. Also known as Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, PewDiePie is best known for his let’s play videos. He was overtaken in 2019 by T-Series. However, PewDiePie is still one of the most subscribed YouTube channels in the world, with total views in excess of 28Bn.
6. Kids Diana Show
Total Overall Views: 84Bn
103 million
Total revenue: $167M
Eva Diana Kidisyuk is the face of the Kids Diana Show. The young star was born in 2014 in Ukraine and hosts roleplay-orientated content on her channel. She is popular among children for her educational and entertaining lifestyle videos. The channel has accumulated over 84Bn views in its lifetime.
7. Like Nastya
106 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 85Bn
Total revenue: $169M
One of the youngest creators in the top 10 most subscribed YouTube channels is Anastasia Sergeyevna, also known as Like Nastya. The Russian/ American YouTuber and her parents host children’s stories and roleplays. Anastasia has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and is seen as an idol by many young viewers worldwide. The channel’s videos combined have over 85Bn views.
8. WWE
92 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 72bn
Total revenue: $144M
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) channel is the world’s largest professional wrestling channel. Its videos showcase iconic matches and significant moments in WWE history. Filled with adrenaline and smackdowns, it is easy to see how the channel has reached over 72Bn views.
9. Vlad and Niki
92 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 70Bn
Total Revenue: $140M
The joint No 9 is Vlad and Niki, two Russian brothers now residing in Miami. They grew in popularity in 2018, when their father quit his job due to the channel’s success. They now run 21 YouTube channels with roleplay and vlog-style videos, with Vlad and Niki being their most successful ones.
10. Zee Music Company
91 Million Subscribers
Total Overall Views: 52Bn
Total Revenue:$105M
Zee music company has a major chunk of the Bollywood music market. The channel videos feature vibrant Bollywood music videos by some of the biggest names in the industry. The estimated revenue of the channel is $105M and it is set to keep growing.
Methodology
The revenue calculated in this article is based on the CPM and CPC. CPM (Cost Per Mille) is the revenue calculated per every 1,000 views of a YouTube video. CPC (Cost per Click) is how much the advertiser pays for every click on the ad. We combined the two sources to reach an estimated gross revenue for each YouTube channel.
The average CPM is $7.60. We used the influencer marketing hubs YouTube money calculator to calculate the revenue for each channel. Google takes a 45% share of YouTube advertising revenue. This leaves the content creator with 55% of each dollar advertisers pay, or an average of $4.18 for every 1,000 views.
We used the top 10 most subscribed channels, including only creators on the platforms. We have excluded YouTube Movies (158M Subscribers), YouTube Music (117M Subscribers), and YouTube Gaming (93.1M Subscribers) as YouTube itself runs them. The revenue generated from these channels is unavailable, as YouTube manages them directly.
It should be emphasized that these are estimates for the total gross revenue of each of the top 10 creators, which in turn depends on the ads the creator chooses to run on their videos. For example, video ads (which play at the start of the video) are more profitable than banner ads (which appear at the bottom of the screen during the video playtime). This must be taken into consideration when looking at the data. Additionally, not every video the creators ever made will have been monetized. It is important to bear this in mind when looking at the data.
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A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.