Despite a significant increase in YouTube Traffic, content creators say they are receiving less pay from their channels. In short, thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus, YouTube audiences are up, but ads are down, OneZero reported.
“Everyone is pausing their campaigns on YouTube,” Carlos Pacheco told OneZero. A former media buyer who is now a YouTube adviser said he works with 180 YouTube channels that cover a variety of topics.
His statement is underscored by data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). It shows a quarter of brands have paused YouTube advertising and 46 percent more have cut their ad spending on the platform, according to the report.
Creators are reporting drops in income as high as 50 percent and some experts predict traditional broadcast channels will hold out better than YouTube OneZero reported.
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“I would expect the savvier brand advertising money to go towards trusted brands and higher quality video, including traditional TV,” Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, told OneZero.
However, there is one silver lining. The spike in traffic is perceived by some YouTubers as an opportunity to attract new subscribers.
“Everyone is being a little careful and tightening their belts in terms of the production side of things, but using this opportunity to gain audiences,” Pacheco said. “Think about it this way — it’s the perfect environment, where many people who wouldn’t be online consumers now are, so the audience is growing exponentially.”
Still, those who depend solely on YouTube for income may be in the midst of another “adpocalypse,” said YouTuber and social media consultant Robert Blake.
“Anyone that makes money only off YouTube at the minute is in a very precarious place,” Blake said. ““Anyone that has all their eggs in one basket right now is getting hammered.”
