How much does a YouTube video with 1 million views pay?
Short answer
A long-form YouTube video with 1 million views typically pays $1,000–$40,000 in ad revenue, depending entirely on niche. Median across all niches sits around $3,000–$5,000.
1M views × niche RPM = ad revenue. That's the entire formula. RPM (revenue per 1,000 views) ranges from under $1 in entertainment to $40+ in B2B finance.
Sponsorships work on a different multiplier. A typical 60-second integration on a video projected to hit 1M views nets $5,000–$30,000 — often more than the ad revenue itself.
| Segment | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming / vlog / entertainment | $1,000 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Tech / how-to / education | $3,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Finance / B2B / insurance | $10,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 |
| Shorts at 1M views | $50 | $200 | $800 |
Caveats
- These are ad-revenue ranges only. Sponsorships, affiliates, and product sales typically dwarf ad revenue at this view count.
- Demonetized topics (controversy, news, copyrighted music) can drop RPM by 60–90%.
- International views (especially Tier-3 countries) earn a small fraction of US/UK/AU views.