Getting 1 million views on YouTube sounds like a dream. But how much money does it actually bring in?
Well, in fact, the YouTube pay for 1 million views isn’t a fixed number. Some creators earn a few hundred dollars, while others make over $10,000 for the same view count. Your money for 1 million YouTube views depends on your niche, audience location, the type of ads shown on your videos, and a few other factors.
In this blog, we will explain how much YouTube pays for 1M views, share examples from different famous creators, and explain what affects your income the most.
In this article, we’ll cover…
- How YouTube Pays Creators
- How Much YouTube Pays for 1 Million Views, on Average
- YouTube Shorts vs Long-Form Videos: Which One Pays More?
- Why YouTube Shorts Pay Less for 1 Million Views
- Key Factors That Affect Your YouTube Earnings for 1M Views
- Proof: 10 Real-Life Examples of How Much YouTubers Earn from 1 Million Views
- Real Examples of How Much YouTube Shorts Pay for 1 Million Views
- Frequently Asked Questions About YouTube Earnings
How YouTube Pays Creators
Every cent of your YouTube revenue starts with one thing: the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). It’s the official program that allows you to turn on all the monetization features on your channel. To qualify for it, you need to have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid watch hours in the last 12 months.
Once you hit those YouTube monetization requirements, your videos become eligible to show ads.
When ads appear on your videos, advertisers pay YouTube a certain amount called the CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions). YouTube then takes its share (45%) and gives the remaining 55% to the creator through Google AdSense.
For example, if advertisers pay $10 for every 1,000 views on your video, you’ll earn about $5.50 after YouTube’s cut. That’s your RPM (Revenue Per 1,000 Views).
But remember, this 55/45 split applies to regular video ads only. Other money-making formats like YouTube Premium revenue, Super Chats, and channel memberships may have slightly different rules. Still, most of your 1 million YouTube views money will come from ads through this partnership.
Average YouTube Pay for 1 Million Views
So, how much YouTube pays for 1M views?
Well, the truth is that there’s no exact amount. The short answer: YouTube typically pays between $2,000 – $5,000 for 1 million views on regular long-form videos. But before you start celebrating or feeling disappointed, let’s share a truth: this figure can vary wildly from as low as $1,000 to as high as $40,000.
It depends on many factors, which we’ll discuss in the next section. Here’s a basic idea of how much you can expect per 1M views based on the video type and niche:
| Video/View Type | US Audience | UK Audience | Indian Audience | Worldwide Average |
| Long-Form Videos | $12,000 – $16,000 | $10,000 – $15,000 | $500 – $2,000 | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| YouTube Shorts | $30 – $100 | $30 – $100 | $10 – $60 | $50 – $200 |
| YouTube Livestreams | $10,000 – $15,000 | $9,000 – $12,000 | $500 – $1,500 | $10,000 – $15,000 |
| YouTube Premium Viewers | $6,000 – $8,000 | $5,500 – $7,500 | $300 – $1,000 | $5,000 – $7,000 |
| YouTube Music | $8,000 | $8,000 | $4,000 – $5,000 | $7,000 |
| Sponsorships & Brand Deals | $15,000 – $50,000 | $12,000 – $40,000 | $2,500 – $15,000 | $10,000 – $30,000 |
| Affiliate Marketing | $2,000 – $10,000 | $2,000 – $8,000 | $500 – $2,000 | $1,500 – $6,000 |
YouTube Shorts VS Long-form Videos: Which One Pays The Most
If you’ve been creating long-form YouTube videos and thinking about moving to Shorts, here’s something you need to know upfront: YouTube Shorts monetization works completely differently and pays way, way less.
As mentioned earlier, a long-form video might earn you between $2,000-$5,000 for 1 million views. But YouTube Shorts just pays you somewhere between $50 to $200 for the same view count. In some cases, it’s even lower, as little as $10-$60 per million views. Yes, you read that right. We’re talking about earning 50 to 100 times less than regular videos.
Before you close this tab in frustration, let me explain why the system works this way and how smart creators are still making serious money from Shorts despite these brutal numbers.
Why Shorts Pay Less For 1 Million Views?
YouTube shows ads between Shorts as viewers scroll through the Shorts feed.
So, the ad revenue sharing of YouTube Shorts is complicated. YouTube takes all the revenue from those in-feed ads and dumps it into one giant revenue pool for each country. Then, at the end of each month, YouTube performs a calculation to figure out how much each creator gets.
And guess what? There are still many cuts on that small amount you receive:
- If your Short uses a copyrighted track, YouTube splits that 1% and sends half of it to the claimant. If you use two music tracks, two-thirds of your revenue goes to music licensing, and only one-third goes to the creator pool. To avoid this revenue loss, you can either use a royalty-free music library or buy licensed music safely.
- Now, when it comes to revenue sharing from Creator Pool, YouTube holds a firmer grip over your earnings. YouTube takes 55%, you keep 45%.
Factors That Affect Your 1M Views YouTube Earnings
The reason there is no single, easy answer to how much YouTube pays for 1 million views is that the revenue is determined by a complex system of live ad auctions. Your 1 million views are simply the container; the value of the container depends entirely on what’s inside. Here are some powerful factors that determine the value of your views and earnings:
1. Audience Location
Where your 1 million YouTube views come from matters more than almost anything else:
- Tier 1 Countries: These regions have higher consumer spending power and a mature digital advertising market. Advertisers bid aggressively to reach these audiences. So, the creator earnings are highest. The United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK are some examples of tier 1 countries.
- Lower Tier Countries: Countries like India, Indonesia, or the Philippines usually have lesser revenue due to lower ad budgets and lower audience income levels.
2. Niche and Content Category
Your niche (topic) directly affects your YouTube monetization rates. Some topics attract high-value advertisers, while others don’t.
Have a look at what you can expect to earn under each niche:
| Niche | Estimated RPM |
| Finance | $4.95 – $16.50 |
| Technology | $1.51 – $9.08 |
| Health And Fitness | $1.93 – $5.50 |
| Education | $2.75 – $6.88 |
| Gaming | $0.88 – $3.30 |
| Beauty and Fashion | $1.38 – $4.95 |
| Travel And Adventure | $1.49 – $4.95 |
| DIY | $1.10 – $2.64 |
For more such detailed statistical figures, visit our blog on YouTube CPM and RPM rates.
3. Viewer Demographics
Even the age, gender, and interests of your audience affect your income from 1 million YouTube views.
Advertisers pay more to reach 25–44 year-olds, since they’re the main buyers of products online. And guess what? Videos watched by teenagers (the most active audience section on YouTube) and children will earn less.
4. Video Length
Videos that are longer than 8 minutes (or 10 minutes for some older monetization rules) are eligible for mid-roll ads. Mid-roll ads, which play in the middle of a video, allow you to place multiple ad breaks in a single video. This dramatically increases the number of ad impressions per video view.
5. Audience Retention and Watch Time
Now, let’s be honest: YouTube really doesn’t pay for your video views. Yes, you heard that right!
Actually, the platform just pays for your ad views. So, your viewer’s watching behavior is what really drives your ad revenue.
You can measure this through a metric in YouTube Analytics called monetized playbacks. It tracks the number of times your video was played and an ad was actually served. If your 1 million views only translate to 400,000 monetized playbacks (due to drop-offs or ad blockers), your revenue is instantly halved.
6. Type of Ads Used
YouTube uses different ad formats, and each pays differently:
- Highest Value: Non-skippable video ads and Bumper ads (short, unskippable 6-second ads) are often highly valued because advertisers are guaranteed the viewer will see the message.
- Lower Value: Skippable video ads and Display/Overlay ads (banners that appear on the video) are typically cheaper for the advertiser.
7. Seasonality
Believe it or not. The ad market fluctuates predictably throughout the year.
October, November, and December see the highest CPMs (often 30%-50% higher) because major brands spend massive budgets on holiday advertising for Black Friday, Christmas, and so on.
January and February often have the lowest CPMs, as advertisers have depleted their Q4 budgets and are resetting for the new year.
10 Real-Life Examples: How Much YouTubers Actually Earn from 1 Million Views (Proof)
Numbers on a spreadsheet are one thing, but hearing directly from creators who’ve cashed those checks? That’s where it gets real. Let’s check out the actual earnings of seven YouTubers who opened their analytics dashboards to show exactly their income from 1 million YouTube views:
1. Our Video Sample
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $1,500 to $2,500
Niche: Sports
We operate several YouTube channels ourselves; one 200K-subscriber sports channel, also follows these figures. We’ve earned a total revenue of €14,976 ($17,384) for 7.8 million views on a sample video. That means the average revenue per million views is around €1918.88 ($2,228.72).
2. Joshua Mayo
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $20,000 to $40,000
Niche: Personal Finance
Joshua started his YouTube channel in 2017 as a comedy artist. But in February 2021, everything changed. Mayo noticed finance creators like Graham Stephan pulling in millions of subscribers talking about credit cards, dividend stocks, and budgeting apps. Despite having zero background in finance, he made the switch.
And the change was worth it. His RPM shot up from around $8 in January 2022 to $29 by October 2022. Now, he earns almost $20,000 to $40,000 for 1 million YouTube views. That’s more than three times what he would earn in the entertainment niche.
3. Amazon and E-bay Guru
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $9,832.59
Niche: Business
Amazon and E-bay Guru, a popular business content creator, recently revealed his YouTube earnings in a Shorts video. As per that, he earned $9,832.59 for 1M views.
4. Shelby Church
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $2,000 to $5,000
Niche: Tech And Lifestyle
Shelby Church, a famous tech and lifestyle vlogger, also has a story to tell. In 2018, most of Church’s videos were under 10 minutes long, and she was only placing one ad per video. Her earnings were modest: just $2 per 1,000 views.
That’s when she came to know about the power of midroll ads. Soon, she started making lengthy videos to place multiple ads on video.
This simple change more than doubled her RPM from $2 to $5 per 1,000 views. Now, she earns about $2,000 to $5,000 money for 1 million YouTube views.
5. Pat Flynn
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $8,400 (Entertainment) & $26,890 (Creator-economy)
Niche: Entertainment, Creator-Economy
The creator Pat Flynn shows us the biggest swings in earnings. It all comes down to two major factors: video length (short vs. long) and the topic’s value (entertainment vs. finance).
First, look at short-form videos (YouTube Shorts): Pat showed a short-form video that earned only $160 for 1 million views. Yes, the RPM was just $0.16!
The revenue jumps dramatically when the videos are longer (allowing for more ad breaks) and especially when they target high-paying niches:
- In his entertainment niche channel for Pokemon content, Deep Pocket Monster, one video earned nearly $8,400 per 1 million views.
- In his personal channel, Pat mainly focused on creator-economy content (something that falls under the broad purview of finance niche). So, guess what? One of his videos reported to earn as high as $26,890 for 1 million views.
6. Marina Mogilko
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $6,667 (approximate)
Niche: Language, Business
Marina Mogilko runs three YouTube channels at the same time: a Russian language channel, English language channel, and a business content channel. Her business-focused channel earns 3.5 times more per view than her language-learning channels, despite attracting a similar audience demographic.
Even though her exact 1 million YouTube views money isn’t public yet, in of her videos she reported that she earned about $10,000 in her video with 1.5 million views. That means we can approximately consider it as $6,667 for 1 million views.
7. Modern Millie
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $14,914.56
Niche: Creator Economy
Modern Millie, who focuses on educational content for creators (like how to make money or grow on social media), generally sees very high payouts because her topics attract advertisers with deep pockets.
If we look at her channel’s overall performance in 2024, the average earning was about $14,914.56 per 1 million views.
But her experience is same as that of Pat Flynn. She shared that videos teaching “how to make money” or related to finance usually have a much higher RPM.
8. Austen Alexander
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $1,736.44
Niche: Fitness And Military
Austen Alexander is an active-duty US Navy sailor who creates content about military life, fitness challenges, and physical training tests. His earnings are notable because fitness content typically earns lower RPMs (around $2-4), but Alexander’s military angle pushes him into a higher bracket.
His CPM rate of $7.70-$9.50 is considered high for the fitness niche. Why? Well, his audience includes potential military recruits, veterans, and fitness enthusiasts interested in military-grade training. That’s a perfect demographic that attracts advertisers selling supplements, tactical gear, military education programs, fitness equipment, and so on.
Alexander shared in a video that he earns about $2,257.37 for a video with 1.3 million. So, we can reasonably estimate that he earns about $1,736.44 for every 1M views.
9. JMG Enterprises
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $2,000 to $5,000
Niche: DIY
The channel JMG Enterprises, which focuses on DIY topics, also demonstrates how RPM shifts based on the niche. His video about “how to remove earwax from your ear” was highly popular, generating $3,969 from 1.3 million views (about $3,220 for 1M views). This creator notes that he earns generally about $2,000 to $5,000 per 1M views.
10. BDE
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $5,069.62
Niche: WWE
BDE, a WWE content creator, has recently revealed the earnings of one of his most popular videos that has garnered over 5.3 million views. He earned a total of $26,869.82. That brings us to an average of $5,069.62 per 1 million views, which is pretty high in a low-paying niche like entertainment.
You can use our YouTube money calculator tool to calculate the estimated revenue range of other popular content creators.
Real Examples on How Much YouTube Shorts Receive For 1 Million Views
Let’s look at what actual creators have publicly shared about their Shorts earnings:
1. TubeBuddy
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $60
Niche: YouTube Content Creation
TubeBuddy, a popular YouTube analytics tool company, that consistently creates many high-quality creator-centric content in the platform. In a recent Short video, they revealed that the channel earns just 6 cents per thousand views, which brings to about $60 per 1M views.
2. Zach King
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $14.69
Niche: Magic
In a Creator Digest interview, the presenter revealed that Zach King, the magic trick creator, earned just $7,900 for a massive 537.5 million Shorts views. When calculated, that rounds to just $14.69 per million views, which is possibly the lowest recorded rate for a major creator.
3. Jordan Tually
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $112.12
Niche: Adventure
Jordan Tually, an adventurist YouTube content creator, earns a fair amount. In a Short video, he shared that he earned $29,824 in 2024 for a total of 266M views. That brings to a total of about $112.12 for every 1M views!
4. Next YouTube Millionare
Revenue For 1 Million YouTube Views: $185.67
Niche: YouTube Content Creation
As the name suggests, Next YouTube Millionare is yet another channel focused on educating YouTube content creators. But despite not in a high-paying niche, the channel earned about $185.67 per 1M Shorts views!
Want to know how much your favorite content creator earned on YouTube? Check out our YouTube Shorts earnings calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
1. How much do you make with 1 million YouTube views from India vs USA?
In India, 1 million views might earn you roughly $600 to $2,400. But in a high-CPM country like USA, you can expect make about $2,000 to $5,000 for every 1M views.
2. How can I start making money off YouTube?
First of all, try to join YouTube Partnership Program with 1k Subscribers and 4000 watch hours. Then make videos regularly around topics that advertisers like (popular or niche interest), and aim at good audience engagement.
3. Is it difficult to get 1 million YouTube views?
Yes, 1M views is indeed a big milestone. It takes tremendous effort, quality content, catchy thumbnails, and sometimes even luck. But it’s not impossible! Any content creator can crack it with engaging content and consistency.
4. Do likes or comments affect YouTube pay?
Not directly. YouTube pays based on ad views. But as your engagement rate increases, the YouTube algorithm pushes the video to more viewers, which consequently leads to more revenue.
5. How often does YouTube pay creators?
YouTube pays once a month, usually between the 21st and 26th, through Google AdSense.
6. What’s the minimum payout threshold?
You need to earn at least $100 in AdSense revenue before YouTube sends your first payment.
Conclusion
No doubts. Getting 1 million views on YouTube is a great achievement. But what really matters is how you see this achievement.
The money from YouTube can be unpredictable, but your influence and brand power are far more valuable in the long run.
So instead of chasing how much YouTube pays for 1 million views, focus on creating videos that connect with your audience because that’s what brings lasting growth for your channel. The income will follow naturally when your content consistently delivers value. Happy content creation!
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