An eight-year-old is named as the highest paid Youtuber of 2019, earning a total of US$26 million for the year.
Ryan Kaji, the star of the YT channel Ryan’s World, has garnered over 22.9 million subscribers.
Kaji, whose real name is Ryan Guan, was also considered as the highest earner on the video platform back in 2018. He gathered US$22 million last year according to Forbes.
Launched in 2015 by his parents, his channel “Ryan’s World” started when he was only three years old.
It was initially branded as “Ryan ToysReview” with mostly “unboxing” videos of the Youtube sensation opening boxes of toys and playing with them.
A lot of the videos racked up more than a billion views. In fact, the channel has almost 35 billion views since it was created.
The channel was then renamed after Truth in Advertising, a consumer advocacy organization, filed a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the matter.
They accuse the channel of not clearly denoting which videos were sponsored, meaning some brands paid for Ryan’s videos to feature or review their products.
The channel has since evolved as Ryan aged, now eight. Aside from the toys, he’s also offering more educational videos.
Ryan has even conducted science experiments and also branched out beyond Youtube with a line of more than 100 toys, exclusive clothing items, a show on Nickelodeon, and a recent deal with Hulu.
According to the Forbes ranking, Ryan Kaji surpassed second placer “Dude Perfect”, a channel run by a group of friends in their 30s who play sports, perform stunts, and break the Guinness World Records.
The channel came in second this year, up from third place the year prior, earning around $20 million.
In third place is another child star, Anastasia Radzinskaya from Russia. The 5-year-old’s channel grew fast, thanks to videos in seven languages that feature her playing with her family. She has earned US$18 million for the year.
Seems like the kids are dominating this year’s highest paid creators on Youtube!
