"Even with Over 1 Million Subscribers, It's Still Tough"…Famous YouTuber Announces Hiatus

Channel revenue is based on video views
"Sustaining is difficult if pushed out by the algorithm"

Popular YouTuber 'Gwana', who reached 1 million subscribers about five years after uploading her first video in 2019, announced last month that she would be suspending her activities. The reason given was that "continuing is difficult." Despite 1 million subscribers being considered a benchmark for popular broadcasters, there is a reaction that the YouTube business is not easy, to the point where even breaking even is fortunate.

Gwana was a YouTuber who covered a wide range of content including music and cooking. At first, she attracted attention by uploading videos of dishes she made with her own original songs, and later expanded into various areas such as food company advertisements. Her subscriber count grew to about 998,000 in approximately five years, and riding on her popularity, she held a concert in October last year.

It has been reported that PD Na Young-seok, who has over 5 million subscribers, also faced difficulties in turning his YouTube channel profitable.
[Image source=YouTube capture]

However, on the 30th of last month, she declared the suspension of her activities on her channel, saying, "Thank you for everything so far. After uploading videos and seeing the results, it is true that continuing is difficult," and added, "I did my best to create content, but the results were far less than half of sustainable views."

The reason why Gwana, who is close to 1 million subscribers, is actually seeing a drop in revenue is reported to be because she has been pushed down by the algorithm and viewer interest has significantly declined. Generally, 1 million subscribers is considered a benchmark for popular YouTubers. YouTube also awards a 'Gold Button' as a souvenir to channels that reach 1 million subscribers.

A post announcing the suspension of activities by YouTuber 'Gwana,' who reached 1 million subscribers. [Image source=YouTube channel capture]

However, a channel's income depends on the number of views on uploaded videos. Even for a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers, the maximum views per video are around 100,000, making it difficult to secure stable revenue. Ultimately, this means they have to create additional revenue sources, such as receiving advertisements from other companies or selling merchandise directly.

Na Young-seok PD, who was once a flagship producer of KBS variety programs, also expressed the difficulties of monetizing YouTube. PD Na entered YouTube content early on, and although his subscriber count reaches millions, he confessed that he is also struggling to turn a profit.

PD Na said during an appearance on 'Channel Sibo-ya' in the past, "(YouTube) revenue from views is not large compared to the production costs involved in broadcasting." He also mentioned that receiving sponsorships such as advertisements and product placements is actually more difficult due to various interests involved.

In fact, data titled '2022 Income Status of One-Person Media Creators (YouTubers, etc.)' received by Representative Yang Kyung-sook of the Democratic Party from the National Tax Service in February clearly reveals the harsh situation of YouTubers. Among domestic one-person media creators including YouTubers, the annual income of the lower 50% corresponding to the median income was only 300,000 KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.