The platform for video said it was taking steps “to protect” its users.
The BBC has announced it will be removing certain shows featuring comedians and actors from its streaming service.
The accusation follows his being accused of sexual assaults in 2006 and 2013. He has denied the allegations and claims that his relations have been “always consensual”.
The BBC announced that it has removed certain programming it said “now falls below public expectations” from iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
On Tuesday the previous day, an earlier on Tuesday, a YouTube spokesperson stated: “If a creator’s off-platform behaviour harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action.”
In recent times, the former radio and television celebrity has changed his image by posting regularly updated videos about spirituality, politics against the establishment, and, most recently, UFOs for his 6.6 million followers. He also posts his content on Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Rumble.
The decision of YouTube to block his revenue streams is applicable to “all channels that may be owned or operated” by the 48-year-old, according to the BBC.
Other channels linked to his YouTube channel includes Awakening With Russell and Keep It Free With Russell Brand and Football Is Nice, which have 500,000 viewers between them.
Sara McCorquodale, author and chief executive officer of the social media analysis firm CORQ estimates that Brand produced between PS2,000 and PS4,000 per YouTube post.
“He was probably making more revenue from YouTube than any other platform,” she stated to BBC News. “Everything existed to drive people towards his YouTube channel, so that probably was a significant revenue stream that has obviously now been paused.”
But Rumble is still carrying advertisements on his content, “so his ability to make money has by no means means stopped,” she added.
As per Companies House, Brand’s company was dubbed Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Ltd – had its net assets nearly double from PS2 million in 2020 to PS4.1 million by 2021.
YouTube’s new move “will have some impact,” the YouTube spokesperson McCorquodale stated. “But his audience is still there. They are very passionate, they want his content, and so they’re going to follow him.”
She suggested that Brand could create an “independent, subscription-based platform” instead, where his hordes of fans would pay for his content.
How do YouTubers earn money?
There are a variety of ways to earn money from YouTube.
One of the easiest ways to earn money is by generating advertising revenue. Once they have enough subscribers, YouTubers are able to show ads prior to or during videos and earn varying amounts. One YouTuber who had half a million subscribers recently told the BBC that they earned around PS10,000 from a single video that had 1.5 million hits.
However, the actual amount earned from video content can be quite different and could be significantly lower or even more than this.
Other methods of earning money are channel memberships, where subscribers can subscribe to see the most of what you have to offer, and super chats and Super Thanks, which are where viewers may pay to have messages to creators displayed more prominently.
However, the main method YouTubers earn money is through sponsorships, also known in the community as “spons” in the community.
In the description of his most recent video, in which he addressed the accusations, Brand has prominently placed the word spon. The firms include a skincare firm, a food supplements powder and the use of a VPN and a coffee substitute.
Companies are paid for the prominent sponsorship of videos with many thousands of viewers and typically pay more for customers who purchase the item using the hyperlink. It could range from one-fifth to a quarter of the cost of purchase.
It’s difficult to determine precisely the exact amount since the financials are decided on a case-by-case basis. However, it’s not uncommon for YouTubers to earn more money from sponsoring than any other source of income that is available on YouTube.
Investigation and response
The accusations against Brand were made as part of an investigation that was conducted that was conducted by Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
On Monday on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said it had received a complaint of a sexual assault that was alleged in 2003.
On Tuesday, the Times revealed reports from two other women, one of whom said he was intimidating and verbally abusive to her for refusing to engage in sexual relations with him.
In advance of broadcasting the Dispatches program, Brand took to his social media channels to deny any claims of misconduct, claiming that he was the target of “a co-ordinated attack” involving “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute”.
