YouTuber MrBeast Makes $250,000 From Video On X
Top YouTube creator makes more than $250,000 in closely watched test of X’s new ad revenue-sharing programme
YouTube star MrBeast has said he made more than $250,000 (£197,000) from posting a single video on X, formerly Twitter.
The popular video creator, real name Jimmy Donaldson, estimated to be the highest-earning YouTube creator last year, said he posted the video as an experiment to try out X’s new ad revenue-sharing programme, introduced last year.
The video, in which Donaldson tries out various cars including an amphibious car and a flying car, was originally posted on YouTube in September.
He said it had attracted more than 150 million views in one week, but that the earnings were “a bit of a facade”.
Revenue sharing
“Advertisers saw the attention it was getting and bought ads on my video (I think) and thus my revenue per view is prob higher than what you’d experience,” he wrote.
Donaldson is the most popular creator on YouTube, with more than 370 million subscribers across his channels.
Forbes estimated he earned $54m last year, while reports suggest he is negotiating a $100m streaming series with Amazon.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk has been experimenting with different revenue models as he attempts to turn X into an all-purpose app with a focus on video, competing with the likes of TikTok and China’s widely used WeChat.
The moves have been closely watched amidst plunging revenue at X, spurred in part by Musk’s battles with advertisers over issues such as misinformation and hate speech.
Diversification
Musk and X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, formerly head of advertising at NBCUniversal, both highlighted Donaldson’s post in their own feeds.
Donaldson’s high profile and the fact that his video on X gained broad international attention suggests that other creators would probably not see comparable revenues from their posts.
Musk initially suggested that Donaldson post content on X in December, and Donaldson responded by posting a teaser for an upcoming YouTube video.
“The production cost of my videos runs into millions, and even with a billion views on X, it wouldn’t come close to covering a fraction of it,” he wrote at the time. “Nonetheless, I’m game to explore possibilities once monetisation hits its stride!”
