Marques Brownlee Net Worth – How Much Money He Makes On YouTube
Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) Net Worth – $32 Million
Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) is one of the biggest tech-reviewing YouTube channels whereby Marques reviews various gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, headphones etc. He has an estimated net worth of $32 million mainly built from this career. He started his channel after he watched a video about a laptop he wanted to buy. He then went ahead to make his own videos adding stuff that had not been mentioned before. Back then he didn’t appear much in the videos and he used the laptop’s webcam and the laptop’s remote control.
Brownlee grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. He majored in business and information technology when in college and became a full YouTuber after graduating.
How Much Money Does Marques Brownlee Earn On YouTube?
MKBHD has over 18 million subscribers growing by 3,000 new ones daily and has accumulated over 4.5 billion views since it was started out back in March 2008. In a day the videos in the channel collectively get an average of 1.5 million views (approximately 30% of the views are from Shorts) and this should generate an estimated revenue of around $8,000 per day ($3 million a year) from YouTube ads.
YouTube content creators based in the US, UK, Canada and Australia generally get paid $2 – $12 per 1000 monetized views after YouTube takes its cut. Monetized views usually range from 40% – 80% of the total views. All these are influenced by several factors like the device played on, time of the year, the location of the viewer, ad inventory, how many ads there are on a video, how many people skip the ads, type of advertisement, ad engagement, type of content, etc.
The cost of an ad view is based on an auction between advertisers based on views. Advertisers have to bid a minimum of $0.01 per view. There is also a program known as Google Preferred where deep-pocketed companies can target ads on the top 5% most popular content. The ad rates here are higher than normal.
Apart from ads, YouTube content creators also generate extra income from other methods such as YouTube Premium, Superchats & Superstickers, Super Thanks, Channel Membership and Shopping.
YouTube Premium viewers pay a monthly fee to view premium content on YouTube and watch videos without ads. Here, content creators get paid based on watch time on their videos. The longer the viewers watch their videos, the more money they earn.
Super Chat and Super Sticker are used by fans to connect with creators during live streams and premiers. When one buys a Super Chat, their comment is highlighted within the live chat while the Super Stickers get an animated image that surfaces in live chat. Super Thanks lets creators earn revenue from viewers who want to show extra gratitude for their videos. Fans can buy a one-time animation and get to post a distinct, colorful, and customizable comment in the video’s comment section.
Shopping gives eligible creators the ability to connect their store to YouTube to feature their own products.
YouTube Shorts generate revenue in a different way as compared to traditional videos. The revenue from ads appearing between Shorts will be pooled together then a portion of the total revenue will be allocated to a Creator Pool. Each country has its own Creator Pool. Eligible creators will be paid based on their share of total views. Shorts that use music make less money due to licensing costs.
Other Sources Of Income
i) Sponsorship Deals
Marques makes extra income through brand deals. He has worked with big companies like Google, D Brand, Honey, Express VPN, Ridge, LTT, Cash App, Buick etc to promote their products within his videos. He also makes money through affiliate marketing whereby whenever someone buys a product via the links the posts in his videos, he gets paid a commission. Merchandise sales also make up a portion of his income.
ii) Waveform Podcast & The Studio
MKBHD has expanded to doing other forms of content such as a podcast (Waveform) and a behind-the-scenes vlog (The Studio). On YouTube, WVFRM podcast has over 400,000 subscribers and accumulated over 60 million views. It gets an average of 80,000 views per day (approx 40% are from Shorts) which should generate and estimated revenue of $300 per day. Waveform Clips, where they share shorter highlights from the podcast, has over 500,000 subscribers and over 90 million views.
The Studio on the other hand has over 750,000 subscribers and has accumulated over 100 million views so far. It generates an average of 20,000 views per day which should generate an estimated revenue of $150 per day.
iii) Autofocus
Autofocus is a new project Marques decided to start. It is a YouTube channel that mainly talks about cars and the technology they now come with. He tries to focus on the electric vehicles industry and hybrid cars. It gets an average of 130,000 views per day which should generate an estimated revenue of $1,000 per day. So far, the channel has accumulated over 120 million views.
iv) Merchandise
MKBHD sells a wide variety of merchandise on his website. They include different types of Tshirts, hoodies, desk mats, hats, coffee mugs, scented candles, wrist bands, dog leashes etc. He collaborated with Atoms to created a limited edition sneaker, Atoms Model 251, that features a sleek design that blends style and comfort paying homage to Marques’ first YouTube video and the start of his journey as a creator.
v) Investments
Investments refer to the allocation of funds into various assets or financial instruments with the expectation of generating a return over time. The primary purpose of investments is to grow wealth, preserve capital, or meet specific financial goals. There are various forms of investments, including stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, and alternative investments like commodities or cryptocurrencies. Each investment type carries its own set of risks and potential rewards.
General Expenses
Content creators incur a wide variety of expenses to create their content. These can include things like production costs, employee salaries, travel expenses, rent, buying new equipment, utilities, amenities, entertainment, subscription fees and other living expenses. One of the biggest expenses for most creators is taxes. Your tax brackets generally depend on your income. In a country like the United States, the highest tax rate is 37%. A combination of all these expenses determines one’s ability to save and invest, consequently how much one’s net worth grows.