How brokers actually price channels in 2026
The industry-standard formula is a monthly-earnings multiple, not annual EBITDA. Empire Flippers, FE International, and Flippa all list channels priced at 18–35× trailing 6-month average monthly net. The multiple is set primarily by niche (advertiser demand for that audience), then adjusted for operator dependency, revenue diversification, evergreen catalog depth, and risk factors. Finance/B2B channels transact at the top of the range, gaming and personality vlogs at the bottom, faceless evergreen niches often above the top of the standard range.
Why 'monthly net' is the only number that matters
Buyers don't buy subscriber count, view count, or gross revenue. They buy the cash the channel will produce for them post-close. Net = AdSense (after YouTube's 45% cut) + memberships + Super Thanks + sponsorship revenue + affiliate + product profit, minus recurring costs (editor, thumbnail designer, VA, dedicated software). Do NOT deduct your own labor — that's added back SDE-style. Trailing 6-month average, not last-month, not peak-month.
Operator dependency: the discount most sellers ignore
A channel where the owner is on-camera, writes every script, and edits personally is worth 30–60% LESS than the same net-earnings channel that runs on SOPs with editors and a hired voiceover. Buyers underwrite the transition risk explicitly. If you're building to exit, invest in de-personalization (narrator, B-roll-heavy edits), documented processes, and a full editorial team before listing. Two channels doing $10K/mo net can list at $180K and $340K purely based on this factor.
Revenue diversification premium
AdSense-only channels take a 15–25% discount because a single YouTube policy change (demonetization, mid-roll rule, restricted-category label) can vaporize 40% of revenue overnight. Channels with 3+ revenue lines — memberships, product/course revenue, 2–3 stable sponsor relationships, affiliate — transact 20–40% higher on identical net earnings. Sponsor concentration cuts the other way: >60% of revenue from any single sponsor is a hard discount, and >80% often breaks the sale entirely.
Evergreen catalog vs news / trend content
A buyer wants to know that if they stop uploading for 60 days during transition, revenue holds. Channels where 70%+ of monthly views come from videos 12+ months old (tutorials, list content, timeless finance/health explainers) command premium multiples. News, commentary, and trend-chasing channels get discounted because their revenue base decays without constant upload cadence. Check YouTube Analytics → 'Traffic source: Suggested' + upload-date filter to measure evergreen share.
Where to actually list
Under ~$50K: Flippa (broadest buyer pool, low fees, expect noise). $50K–$500K: Empire Flippers or FE International (curated buyers, 10–15% fee, 60–120 day process, professional diligence). $500K+: skip auctions entirely and reach out to strategic buyers directly — YouTube-focused holding companies, media roll-ups, PE-backed creator businesses. Private strategic deals routinely clear 15–25% above marketplace comps because there's no auction floor and buyers pay for portfolio fit. Add 30 days post-close for AdSense migration and YouTube brand-account transfer.
Related guides
Long-form playbooks on the same topic, written by the RevenueLab editorial team.
What Is a YouTube Channel Actually Worth in 2026? A Valuation Framework
How brokers and acquirers value channels — typical 24–42× monthly net multiples, the seven discount factors that crush a price, and what makes a faceless channel worth 2× a personality-led one.
Read the guideYouTube RPM by Niche in 2026: What Creators Actually Earn per 1,000 Views
A breakdown of typical YouTube RPM ranges across 12 niches — from finance and B2B SaaS at the top to gaming and entertainment at the bottom — and the levers that move them.
Read the guideYouTube Shorts Monetization in 2026: How the Ad-Revenue Pool Actually Works
How the Shorts revenue-share pool is calculated, what RPMs creators are actually seeing, and where Shorts fit alongside long-form for serious channel revenue.
Read the guideFAQ
What multiple do YouTube channels actually sell at?
Public marketplace comps (Flippa, Empire Flippers 2024–2026): 18–35× monthly net for most channels, with faceless evergreen finance and B2B pushing 40×+ and personality-heavy or news-cycle channels bottoming at 12–18×. Private strategic buyers occasionally pay 45–60× for a channel that fits an existing portfolio.
Why is operator dependency the biggest discount?
A buyer is purchasing recurring cash flow, not a job. If the channel dies without the current owner (personality-driven, on-camera every video, unique voice), the buyer is really buying a 6-month transition risk. Faceless, SOP-driven, editor-run channels transact 30–60% higher on the same net earnings.
How does revenue diversification affect the multiple?
AdSense-only channels get discounted because a single YouTube policy change (demonetization, mid-roll placement, niche penalty) can wipe 40% of revenue overnight. Channels with memberships, product/course revenue, and 2–3 stable sponsors get a 20–40% premium — the revenue base is structurally more defensible.
What counts as 'net' earnings for valuation?
Trailing 6-month average of: AdSense (post-YouTube 45% cut) + memberships + Super Thanks + sponsorships + affiliate + product profit, minus editor pay, thumbnail designer, VA, hosting, and any dedicated tools. Do NOT deduct your own labor — brokers add that back as an SDE-style adjustment.
Should I sell on Flippa, Empire Flippers, or privately?
Under $50K: Flippa (broadest buyer pool, low fees). $50K–$500K: Empire Flippers or FE International (higher-quality diligence, 12–15% fees). $500K+: usually private — reach out to holding companies (Passion Struck, Whistle, individual YouTube-focused PE) directly. Private deals often clear 15–25% above marketplace comps because there's no auction floor.
What kills a sale during due diligence?
Undisclosed copyright strikes, RPM decline in the trailing 90 days, sponsor concentration >60%, revenue that leans on 1–2 viral videos, and mismatch between reported net and AdSense screenshots. Have a clean P&L, 24-month analytics export, and sponsor contracts ready before listing — buyers walk from messy diligence.
How long does a sale typically take?
Under $100K on Flippa: 30–60 days. $100K–$500K on Empire Flippers-tier brokers: 60–120 days including 30-day diligence. Private strategic sales: 3–6 months. Add 30 days for post-close transition (AdSense migration, channel ownership transfer via YouTube's brand-account flow).
Do I get taxed on the sale?
Almost always as long-term capital gains (if you've owned the channel 12+ months). Some structures allow §1202 QSBS treatment if the channel is inside a C-corp, but that's rare for creators. Talk to a CPA — a $300K sale can produce a $60K–$90K federal tax bill depending on bracket and state.
Does subscriber count matter?
Directly, no — buyers underwrite cash flow. Indirectly, yes: a channel doing $10K/mo on 30K subs commands a premium (dense audience, defensible niche) vs $10K/mo on 2M subs (fragile RPM, hard to grow). The 'value per subscriber' row above is a sanity check, not a driver.
What about faceless AI-voiced channels launched in 2024–2026?
Marketplaces are cautious. Buyers now demand 12+ months of stable revenue, low reliance on any single AI tool, and proof the content isn't demonetization risk (YouTube's 'inauthentic content' policy tightens periodically). A faceless AI channel with 18 months of history and diversified revenue still commands premium multiples — a 6-month one gets discounted to 10–15×.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last reviewed
July 2026. We re-check every figure on the platform on a rolling quarterly cycle.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.