Youtuber gets a billion views.

With two billion views on YouTube, a new book and brands knocking down her door, Scarborough-born Lilly Singh offers a lesson for Canadians looking to ride the wave of cultural disruption

A Youtuber makes $2-4 per 1,000 views, according to this article, and, with a billion views, she may be making $2 million a year. So the internet can be monetized. I was told that there was no money to be made on the internet, but I am getting evidence that's simply not true, and I know a TV director who says it can be done.

I have to go back and rethink things through.
 
I understand Pew Die Pie earns about $10mil a year. We're also talking about the outliers. These examples are the Paranormal Activities.

I listened to one of those audio books from Felicia Day. The title is something like, you're never weird on the internet. It'll give you a little bit of a behind the scenes of another run-away success and what it really looks like behind the scenes.

Also think of this: This Lily earns $2mil. How much of that is paid out in expenses? Leaving her with? I don't know. Maybe she's just a vlogger and do it all herself. It might all be profit.

I remember being at a Youtube training seminar last year. When pressed whether it can be profitable to make Youtube productions, they admitted you better be doing it for other reasons than money. The numbers are really depressing. If you're good enough to figure out how to earn millions producing narrative material for Youtube, you shouldn't be earning pennies on the dollar. You'd be able to earn ten times that (if not more) elsewhere.

Go and rethink things. Maybe you'll be the one that changes the online world.

The world is changing. Change is a funny thing.
 
Simply pick a handful of youtube videos at random and look at how many views they have had. You will see that most only have a few hundred plays. Personally, we have 117 videos on youtube...some for many years....and our LIFETIME earnings for ALL 117 videos combined is only $59.58
 
If your interest is producing content like this (Jenna Marbles is a "YouTube celebrity"), yes, it can be done. However larger productions are often sniffed out as a copycat or disingenuis, people want to watch the person with the single camera in most cases, the super slick graphics and often sponsors etc. are studios trying to cash in on the "YouTube Celebrity" craze and it often fails. You have to be a big personality with something to say to a certain audience, and come across as genuine. Once popular, your production can grow with a small team and pro graphics etc. because you proved yourself. Is that your interest?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RycMNSM8Mns
 
You can also come up with a channel like Funny or Die and YT is just one distribution outlet. This is an example of pro-produced videos that make money and go for more of the sketch comedy/SNL angle.

But more times than not, humor is involved.
 
I was told that there was no money to be made on the internet
Whoever told you that is a fool. People have been making money on
the internet for more than 20 years. I always post examples but in
this case it would be pointless - we ALL know that there is money to
be made on the internet. Except whoever told you there was no
money to be made on the internet.

Also think of this: This Lily earns $2mil. How much of that is paid out in expenses? Leaving her with? I don't know. Maybe she's just a vlogger and do it all herself. It might all be profit.
Let's say her expenses are $5,000 per week. About $240,000/yr.
For argument, double that. $280,000 a year isn't bad money.
 
Whoever told you that is a fool. People have been making money on
the internet for more than 20 years.

I was react the same but I couldn't tell if he meant the Internet, or specifically YT. Obviously money is made on the Internet!
 
I was react the same but I couldn't tell if he meant the Internet, or specifically YT.
I can only respond to what he wrote. Not to what he may have meant.

Perhaps he did mean he was told there was no money to be made on
YouTube. Even then, people have been making money on You Tube for
a very long time. At least he knows a TV director who says there is
money to be made in the internet. That's a start.

The article states that her $2 million annually puts her in the top 75 of
YT earners. That means there are 70 or so people making MORE than
$2 million annually. She doesn't even break the top 50.

There is money to be made on the internet. And if AM meant You Tube
there is money to made on You Tube.
 
Surely!

I think some people expect a decent short film to make money, and don't understand the type of content that goes viral or has a fanbase. In fact content doesn't need to go viral to make money these days on YT. It's all about subscribed fans and how to build that base. A lot of these money making videos aren't even shared extensively. But they are watched by their millions of subscribers.

A funny video of a turtle humping a shoe, that may go viral. And it may be a one-off for your channel.

Hosting your own show or producing content, that needs a fanbase.

Viral, meaning, you ask someone if they have seen the "funny squirrel" video or whatever, and everyone you talk to has seen it. That is viral. You don't need to go viral to make $$$. Most of the money making YTers do not go viral, they have dedicated fans.
 
If your interest is producing content like this (Jenna Marbles is a "YouTube celebrity"), yes, it can be done. However larger productions are often sniffed out as a copycat or disingenuis, people want to watch the person with the single camera in most cases, the super slick graphics and often sponsors etc. are studios trying to cash in on the "YouTube Celebrity" craze and it often fails. You have to be a big personality with something to say to a certain audience, and come across as genuine. Once popular, your production can grow with a small team and pro graphics etc. because you proved yourself. Is that your interest?

That is NOT my interest. Those who said money cannot be made on the internet are referring to movies. Yes, with Netflix and Amazon, that has changed, but they are a different ball game than YT or the internet in general. At least, that's what they've told me, but I will keep an open mind.
 
Making money on the net as relating to movies is still very vague. I thought you were referring to YouTube per your title. So what are getting at? Streaming a feature, or?
 
Let's say her expenses are $5,000 per week. About $240,000/yr.
For argument, double that. $280,000 a year isn't bad money.
That's the truth. Not good money if her costs exceed her revenue.

Those who said money cannot be made on the internet are referring to movies. Yes, with Netflix and Amazon, that has changed, but they are a different ball game than YT or the internet in general. At least, that's what they've told me, but I will keep an open mind.
What are you asking?

Streaming a feature or series.
You want to run a streaming service?
 
Sweetie,

I'm asking if a big- or mid-budget movie, say $10 million to $100 million, can make money on the internet. I'm not sure that it can. I don't want to run a streaming service, but I do want to tell stories and make a living at it, though I don't know if I should be telling stories on TV, Netflix, movie theatres, or Youtube.

Thanks as always for your input.
 
That's the truth. Not good money if her costs exceed her revenue.

I can't imagine her costs even being $5k per week. But even at 10K
per week she's making $280k a year. It does not look like she is
spending $40,000 a month on those videos.

AM, it's clear from the example you posted that in order to make two
million a year on YouTube you need hundreds of thousands of subscribers
who watch every day.

but I do want to tell stories and make a living at it, though I don't know if I should be telling stories on TV, Netflix, movie theatres, or Youtube.
There is a way to tell stories (and make money) on all of those platforms.
What Ms. Singh is doing is telling her story in her way. And it has been
quite successful, hasn't it? You should finish your script. It could end up
being the pilot of a Nextflix series, a TV series or a movie to be shown in
theaters.

Have you found any revenue info on feature films in that budget range
($10 million to $100 million) released directly on Netflix?
 
Sweetie,

I'm asking if a big- or mid-budget movie, say $10 million to $100 million, can make money on the internet. I'm not sure that it can. I don't want to run a streaming service, but I do want to tell stories and make a living at it, though I don't know if I should be telling stories on TV, Netflix, movie theatres, or Youtube.

Thanks as always for your input.

They can. The system may not be invented yet, but it's possible that in the future there may be some platform that marries the concept of live-streaming with the concept of scheduled theater-going.

With current business models, it's possible for those movies to make money through good ol' fashioned sales or ad revenue, but not as likely. Especially big budget movies.
 
It does not look like she is spending $40,000 a month on those videos.
I honestly didn't look. If your words give me any indication, it's some vlog with meh production value. If that's the case, I'd agree with you.

I'm asking if a big- or mid-budget movie, say $10 million to $100 million, can make money on the internet. I'm not sure that it can. I don't want to run a streaming service, but I do want to tell stories and make a living at it, though I don't know if I should be telling stories on TV, Netflix, movie theatres, or Youtube.
You can earn thousands of dollars putting a good feature on youtube.

I think the record for Netflix is $120m for The Irishman. I'm sure it's a production deal. Adam Sandler recently signed a 3 or 4 movie deal with them.

Netflix has increased its acquisition budget this year from 5 to 6 billion dollars.

You can look up the revenue for the theatres and make a decision.

So, yes, no, maybe. You can, maybe, probably, could be, depending... on... well... lots.
 
A Youtuber makes $2-4 per 1,000 views, according to this article, and, with a billion views, she may be making $2 million a year. So the internet can be monetized. I was told that there was no money to be made on the internet, but I am getting evidence that's simply not true, and I know a TV director who says it can be done.

I have to go back and rethink things through.

[ Yoda mode]
Survivor-bias this it
[ /Yoda mode]

Yes, there is money to be made on YouTube. Just like there is with music and narrative films.
What are the odds?
What was the context of 'there was no money to be made on the internet'?

This is no binairy question.
Yes: there is money to be made on internet.
The real question is how is this done and why do some succeed while others doing more or less the same fail?

Look at music on Spotify: a few artists take almost all of the revenue. Winner takes all.
 
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