YouTube. Paid for outcomes.
Some YouTube creators now make more than TV writers. It isn't about talent or effort. It's about how success is rewarded.
THE GIST ON YOUTUBE: "YouTube vs TV Pay"
Why are YouTube creators out-earning TV writers?
Creator earnings on YouTube have exploded, and seven figure incomes are no longer rare at the top end. Meanwhile traditional TV writing has become precarious: shorter contracts, fewer residuals, smaller rooms and longer gaps between jobs.
Two people in entertainment can end up in completely different financial realities, and it's not about effort or talent.
How are they paid differently?
TV pays for delivery. You write the show, and whether it goes on or not, you get paid. YouTube pays for outcomes. If the video bombs, you get nothing. If it goes viral, you make a fortune.
Risk sits with the creator, but so does the upside.
How big is the shift?
MrBeast recently pointed out that 2% of all human attention is now spent on YouTube. When that much attention pools in one place, the money follows it, but only for the people who own the work.
Creative careers are moving from being paid to participate to being paid when something works.
TV salary or YouTube gamble: which would you take?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
How does TV writing pay compared with YouTube?
TV pays for delivery whether or not the show succeeds. YouTube pays for outcomes: nothing if a video bombs, a fortune if it goes viral.
What did MrBeast point out?
That 2% of all human attention is now spent on YouTube, as reported by Huw.
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