Star YouTuber makes only 8 mil. won per month. Really?

By Dong Sun-hwa

How much money does a YouTube channel with millions of subscribers make?

There have been only estimations, but freelance TV personality Jang Sung-kyu, who features on popular channel “Workman,” provided some figures on Saturday.

“Workman,” which boasts more than 2.9 million subscribers, earns about 2 billion won ($1.7 million) per month, said Jang on MBC's reality show “Omniscient Interfering View.”

Jang added that he received around 1 million won ($843) per episode. Given that “Workman” uploads eight videos a month on average, his monthly income from YouTube should be about 8 million won. If Jang had run the channel, his earnings must have been greater. But the channel is operated by cable channel JTBC's Studio LuluLala.

Visit the channel:

bit.ly/2KjUXJb

On “Workman,” Jang experiences diverse occupations ― such as a construction worker ― as a part-timer, allowing job seekers a glimpse into these jobs. Thanks to his laughter-evoking yet realistic performances, all 25 videos have reached millions of views.

“At first, I received 400,000 won for an episode,” Jang said. “But the sum has increased.”

Jang added that he did not want to launch a personal channel for more profit, saying, ““I don't want to be overambitious.”

He joined JTBC in 2011 and left the broadcaster in 2018. He is now a freelancer appearing on dozens of entertainment programs, including JTBC's “Movieroom.”