YouTube Premium Revenue Share Explained: How Creators Earn from Premium

When a YouTube Premium subscriber watches your video, you earn money even though they don't see ads. Here's how:

1. YouTube collects Premium subscription fees (₹149/month individual, ₹189/month family in India)
2. A portion goes to the creator pool — YouTube allocates a share of Premium revenue to creators
3. Your share is based on watch time — The more Premium subscribers watch your content, the larger your share
4. YouTube keeps its cut — Similar to the 45/55 split with ads

The formula:
Your Premium Revenue = (Your Premium Watch Time ÷ Total Premium Watch Time on YouTube) × Total Premium Revenue Pool × 55%

In practice for Indian creators:
- Premium RPM in India: ₹15-₹80 per 1,000 Premium views
- This is often comparable to or slightly higher than ad RPM
- Premium viewers tend to watch longer (no ad interruptions), so their watch time contribution is higher
- Premium revenue appears in YouTube Studio alongside ad revenue

Most Indian creators find that Premium revenue is 5-15% of their total YouTube earnings. Here's why:

YouTube Premium adoption in India:
- Estimated 8-12% of Indian YouTube users have Premium (2026)
- This is growing as YouTube bundles Premium with YouTube Music
- Higher adoption among 25-40 age group with disposable income

Comparison by viewer type:

| Metric | Ad-supported Viewer | Premium Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue per 1,000 views | ₹15-₹35 (avg) | ₹15-₹80 |
| Watch time per session | Lower (ads cause drop-off) | Higher (uninterrupted) |
| % of your audience | 88-92% | 8-12% |
| Your control over revenue | Medium (niche/length) | Low (based on watch time) |

Key insight: Premium viewers are actually more valuable per view in many cases because they watch longer sessions, increasing your share of the Premium pool. A 20-minute video that a Premium viewer watches fully contributes more to your earnings than 20 minutes of ad-interrupted viewing.

However, you cannot specifically optimize for Premium viewers. Focus on creating great content that maximizes watch time for all viewers, and Premium revenue will follow naturally.

YouTube Studio shows Premium revenue alongside ad revenue, but you can see it separately:

Desktop:
1. Open YouTube Studio → Analytics → Revenue
2. Click "Revenue Sources" card
3. Look for "YouTube Premium" as a separate line item
4. You can see Premium revenue per video too

What to expect:
- New channels: Premium revenue is nearly invisible (₹10-₹100/month)
- 100K subscribers: ₹1,000-₹5,000/month from Premium
- 500K subscribers: ₹5,000-₹25,000/month from Premium
- 1M+ subscribers: ₹15,000-₹1,00,000+/month from Premium

Important notes:
- Premium revenue is NOT affected by ad blockers (since there are no ads)
- Premium revenue is steadier than ad revenue (less seasonal fluctuation)
- Shorts also generate Premium revenue (and often at better rates than Shorts ad revenue)
- YouTube Music streams from your music videos also generate Premium revenue

While you can't directly target Premium subscribers, these strategies increase your Premium earnings:

1. Maximize watch time:
- Premium revenue is watch-time based, not view-based
- Longer videos that retain viewers = more Premium revenue
- Series content and playlists encourage binge-watching by Premium users

2. Create content for the Premium demographic:
- Premium subscribers tend to be older (25-45), more affluent
- They're more likely in professional niches: business, finance, education, technology
- Creating content for this demographic naturally attracts Premium viewers

3. Encourage long viewing sessions:
- Use end screens to recommend your next video
- Create playlists and series that keep viewers watching
- Premium users are more likely to watch entire playlists uninterrupted

4. Leverage YouTube Music:
- If you create music content, Premium Music subscribers generate additional revenue
- Background listening (audio-only) still counts toward your Premium share

FluxNote can help you create consistent content that keeps viewers coming back — the key to building a loyal audience that includes Premium subscribers watching multiple videos per session.