YouTube’s biggest earners from Jake Paul to Conor Maynard and PointlessBlog
The biggest stars can make even more by releasing books, merchandise and singing lucrative sponsorship deals
MOST people would think it cruel for an eight-year-old to work.
But YouTube’s highest-earner Ryan has the perfect job – reviewing toys – and pocketed $22MILLION last year from advertising revenue on his billions of views, according to Forbes magazine.
Other’s cashing in – with merchandise, books and sponsorship adding more – include a former Tesco worker who earns millions playing video games and a Japanese woman who eats 23,000-calorie meals.
Nick Pritchard looks at YouTube’s big earners.
THE RICHEST
Ryan ToysReview
- Earnings: £17.2m
- Subscribers: 17.3m
- Most watched video: Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge with Inflatable water slide (1.6bn views)
RYAN’S channel sees him, his mum. dad and and twin sisters reviewing toys. (Their surname has never been published).
Since starting in 2015, the American’s have had 26BILLION views.
Videos feature Ryan, above, enthusiastically yelling as he opens up box after box of the latest toys. He even has his own line of collectibles in Walmart.
Jake Paul
- Earnings: £16.8m
- Subscribers: 17.6m
- Most watched video: It’s Everyday Bro (Song) feat. Team 10 (Official) (222m views)
JAKE PAUL, is the younger brother of one of YouTube’s most notorious vloggers, Logan Paul, who was widely condemned for filming a corpse hanging from a tree in a “suicide forest” in Japan.
He still made £11.3 million last year. But his 21-year-old little bro overtook him with nearly £17million, thanks to a stream of goofy pranks and funny rap songs on his channel.
From LA, in 2017 he was invited to the White House. He hid in a toilet as part of a stunt for his channel, sneaking out at 3.30am.
Dude Perfect
- Earnings: £15.6m
- Subscribers: 36.8m
- Most watched video: Ping Pong Trick Shots 3 (175m)
A group of five friends who met at Texas A&M University. They make entertaining sports videos – their most popular upload being a slickly edited series of trick shots using a table tennis ball.
The group consists of twins Coby and Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones and Tyler Toney.
The former high school basketball players started filming videos together in 2009. They hold a number of Guinness World Records.
THE YOUNGEST
EthanGamerTV
- Net worth: £1m
- Subscribers: 2.3m
- Most popular video: Red Ball 4 mobile game review (25m views)
BRIT video game vlogger Ethan, earns a million playing and reviewing PlayStation and mobile phone games.
The 12-year-old from Cheshire, also uploads challenge videos where he tries to eat sour “Toxic Waste” sweets. His parents run the channel for him but he replies to comments with their permission.
Ethan also has another channel where he films videos of himself unboxing products ordered online.
BabyTeeth4
- Net worth: £1.3m
- Subscribers: 1.7m
- Most watched video: Too Many Addies (recut) Part 2 Babyteeth4 Classics! (124m views)
SISTERS Jillian, 11, and Adelaide, eight, are the Mary Berrys of the sweet critic world.
Early videos featured them giving their opinion on various treats from stores. As their channel has grown they have started to make and edit their own sketches, including a 12-minute remake of The Wizard Of Oz.
Their dad films the videos at their home in Pennsylvania, US.
Hailey's Magical Playhouse
- Net worth: £1.4m
- Subscribers: 1.5m
- Most watched video: Best Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge on Inflatable Water Slide! Outdoor Play (98m views)
Hailey, seven, left, got her own channel after nagging her dad. The American youngster reviews toys which are sent in by brands, then donates them to needy children.
Popular videos feature Hailey hunting for Easter Eggs in enormous blow-up paddling pools, castles and slides.
THE BRITS
Louise Pentland
- Net worth: £5m
- Subscribers: 2.5m
- Most watched video: Prank Calls with Dan Howell! (4.7m views)
KNOWN online as Sprinkle of Glitter, Louise is a 33-year-old mum of two who usually regales her subscribers with tales of motherhood or beauty tips.
The lifestyle vlogger, above, kept viewers updated with information about her pregnancy before her daughter, Pearl, was born this year.
Louise, of Northampton – who also has daughter Darcy, seven – interviewed Ed Miliband on her channel during the 2015 General Election.
Conor Maynard
- Net worth: £4.6m
- Subscribers: 8.4m
- Most watched video: Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber (Sing off vs. Pixie Lott) (146m views)
POP STAR Conor 26, was initially touted as Britain’s answer to Justin Bieber – and his single Can’t Say No reached No2 in the charts in 2012.
Since then the Brighton-born singer, has found a permanent home on YouTube, uploading covers of songs or duetting with The Vamps and Olly Murs in “sing off” videos.
PointlessBlog
- Net worth: £3.8million
- Subscribers: 5.2m
- Most watched video: Ariana Grande Does My Makeup (16.7m views)
ALFIE DEYES used to be known only as the boyfriend of YouTuber Zoella but the 25-year-old is now a massive star in his own right.
His vlogging channel features lots of challenges, pranks, games and interviews and he frequently collaborates with other famous YouTubers, not least his girlfriend.
In 2015 Alfie, from Brighton, was named by Debrett’s as one of the 500 most influential people in Britain.
In the past four years he has released four books. Sales of these alone – topping 600,000 – have raked in £3.9million.
THE WEIRDEST
Gentle Whispering ASMR
- Earnings: £430k
- Subscribers: 1.5m
- Most watched video: Oh Such A Good 3D-Sound ASMR Video (20.8m views)
A BAFFLING channel which features a pretty blonde woman whispering, rubbing fabric and plucking the bristles of a hairbrush.
Maria, a 28-year-old Russian expat who lives in the US, stars in the videos, which are said by some to induce a mysterious physical sensation known as “autonomous sensory meridian response”.
People who respond to the videos say they experience euphoric tingles at the sounds.
There must be plenty of them as she has racked up an astonishing number of views.
Some videos also feature her pretending to give a dental exam.
Yuka Kinoshita
- Earnings: £2.9m
- Subscribers: 4.9m
- Most watched video: Dangerously hot Korean Instant Noodles (15.3m views)
JAPANESE Yuka, 33, is one of the most popular of the “Mukbang” YouTubers who film themselves eating massive amounts of food. She uploads daily videos, regularly eating 5,000-calorie meals.
A woman generally needs 2,000 a day.
Some say the popularity of the videos is because lonely viewers enjoy the social aspect of eating.
FunToys Collector Disney Toys Review
- Earnings: £3.9m
- Subscribers: 11.1m
- Most watched video: Play Doh Sparkle Princess Ariel Elsa Anna Disney Frozen MagiClip Glitter Glider Dolls (590m views)
FEATURES a woman unboxing kids’ toys and playing with them, her face hidden and only her hands and glitzy nails visible. They are dubbed “the richest hands on the internet”.
The mystery woman was revealed in 2015 to be Brazilian former porn star Daiane de Jesus.
MOST READ IN TECH
TOP TEN EARNERS
1. Ryan ToysReview £17.2m
Seven-year-old and his family run rule over latest toys.
2. Jake Paul £16.8m
Raps and pranks with merchandise.
3. Dude Perfect £15.6m
Five-man sports crew pull off tricks and stunts.
4. DanTDM £14.5m
British Minecraft gamer flogs tour and merchandise.
5. Jeffree Star £14m
Make-up and beauty products mogul, vlogging veteran.
6. Markiplier £13.8m
Hawaiian gamer. Brand deals and leisure line.
7. Vanoss Gaming £13.4m
Canadian gamer. Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed guru.
8. Jacksepticeye £12.6m
Foul-mouthed Irish gamer. Went mainstream with Disney.
9. PewDiePie £12.2m
Swedish gamer. Recovered from anti-Semitism scandal.
10. Logan Paul £11.4m
Pranks by Jake’s brother. Took a hit when he filmed body of apparent suicide victim.
- $ amounts are yearly earnings to June 2018
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