Nigerian Entertainers Earning Big on YouTube

YouTube analytics site SocialBlade tracks the number of subscribers and viewers that YouTube content creators have and estimates their income based on the cost-per-thousand advertising rates that YouTube offers. Their analytics show that Nigerian YouTubers are making efficient and profitable use of the platform.

YouTube was officially launched on December 15, 2005, and was serving more than two million video views each day. Prior to its launch, it attracted some 30,000 visitors per day. In 2021, there are approximately 1.86 billion YouTube users worldwide.

Typically, YouTube creators earn through Google’s advertising network, AdSense, brand integrations in videos, and sponsored videos. Some creators use all of these means to generate revenue while others depend solely on AdSense.

Mark Angel Comedy, the home of comedy skits is one of the popular comedy pages on YouTube. Mark Angel’s YouTube channel was the first African comedy channel to reach one million subscribers. His page consists of a series of YouTube comedy shorts that feature a number of people from Angel’s family and neighbourhood in Port Harcourt.

Many of the shorts involve clever children, primarily Emmanuella Samuel and Success. Mark Angel has over 6.7 million subscribers and their videos have resonated with so many people around the world.

Nairametrics spoke to a top YouTube creator in Nigeria, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. This respondent has been creating content on YouTube for nearly 5 years and has garnered many subscribers and views on his videos.

“I’d say it’s my interest in creativity from a young age that led me into making YouTube videos. I love reading and looking at art, design, and general innovations in technology. I gravitated towards publications like Wired Magazine and later started a career as a graphic designer. I later moved on to producing videos and have been making videos for almost 5 years,” he stated.

He talked about how much he makes from YouTube and his other side gigs. On average, he said he makes between $5,000 – $10,000 or more monthly and an additional $2,000 to $5,000 on advertising.

In Nigeria, we have many more popular YouTube creators with over 100k subscribers who have created content ranging from comedy to guides to makeup reviews to Tech, etc. The likes of Maraji, Dimmah Umeh, Sisi Yemmie, Fisayo Fosudo, are a few popular examples. These people have harnessed the opportunity offered by YouTube to share information and also make a lot of money while doing what they love.