YouTube's
Impact
From Opportunity to Impact - An overview of the Canadian Creator Economy in 2023
At YouTube, our mission is to give everyone a voice and show them the world. We're seeing Canadians embrace the opportunity to be inspired and entertained, to learn new skills, and connect with diverse communities. Locally, creators are using YouTube to build businesses and share their stories with Canadians and global audiences. From artists, to educators, to gamers, YouTube is the tool that's helping creative entrepreneurs find international success.
YouTube’s impact in Canada
$1.8B+
YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than $1.8 billion CAD to Canadian GDP in 2023.
30K+
YouTube’s creative ecosystem supported more than 30k+ full time equivalent jobs in 2023.
* YouTube first-party data as of December 2023
Multiple ways to monetize
From YouTube
Ads
YouTube Premium
Fan funding
Channel Memberships
Super Chat
Super Stickers
Super Thanks
Other ways to earn
Shopping
Ticket sales
Funds to support specific groups of creators
On YouTube I built the freedom to go solo as a creator. Financial freedom we never thought we’d know.
- Alex A., Edmonton, AB
Helping grow Canadian businesses
Helping grow Canadian businesses - Alex A., Edmonton based business owner and creator behind Curiosity Inc., has grown a global audience of over 575k subscribers. Originally a brick-and-mortar antiques store, Alex looked to complement his Antiques business by creating content that takes his antique-loving viewers on adventures to find unique treasures across Canada and the world. Since starting on YouTube in 2016, he’s grown and sold two businesses and turned content creation into his full time career. Alex is one of many businesses across the country that has leveraged YouTube to connect with customers.
Because of YouTube, we were signed to an amazing record label. Because of YouTube, almost every child that we walk by on the streets knows who we are.
- @CrashAdams, Toronto, ON
Where Canadian talent finds a global stage
Where Canadian talent finds a global stage - For many Canadian artists, YouTube plays a key role in helping them grow their fan base, both at home and across the world. It’s helped aspiring artists get discovered both through their music and by connecting them directly with their fans. Since the live music video series featuring their infamous ‘red couch’ went viral, the Toronto-born artists and the musicians behind Crash Adams, have skyrocketed their subscriber count to over 11 million and signed with Warner Music. Crash Adams are active YouTube creators, attracting new fans by publishing YouTube Shorts, engaging with their subscribers in weekly updates, and publishing music videos in their channel.
We get a lot of messages saying that we’ve given people information and ideas on how they can take action themselves from our videos. We’re empowering people.
- @Steph&Den, Toronto, ON
A place to learn and share
On YouTube, Canadians have a free and open place to learn, from developing professional skills to hobbies to problem solving. It’s also a great resource for students, educators, and parents. Toronto-based creators Steph G. and Den M. create content that educates and inspires young people to better understand and take charge of their finances. Since 2020, they have grown to over 120,000 subscribers and turned content creation into their full-time jobs.
YouTube has magnified my career a thousand fold. My business as a professional organizer went from a community of 200k in my city to now - the entire world is my community.
- @Clutterbug, Windsor, ON
The building blocks of Canada’s creative economy
There are many ways creators can earn money directly through the YouTube platform, from a share of the revenues from the ads on their channel to a share of YouTube Premium and channel memberships. This range gives creators the flexibility to grow in a way that supports their creativity, interests, and passion. Cassandra A. is a Windsor-based mom of three who turned her passion for organizing into a successful career and business, Clutterbug.
At first, YouTube helped her find customers but now, with over 991k subscribers, it’s a core part of her business. She has since released four best-selling books, a podcast, an HGTV show titled “Hot Mess House”, and hired employees to manage her online presence.
People say ‘aren’t you GoldenGully from YouTube?’ I’m super grateful for that. If it weren't for them I couldn’t showcase the culture itself. I couldn’t share the cuisine.
- @GoldenGully Toronto, ON
Where diversity thrives
YouTube is home to diverse communities who share their stories and culture with the world. Bilal is the creative chef bbehind GoldenGully, a cooking channel that showcases positivity in Pakistani culture. While he’s an immigration paralegal by trade, with GoldenGully he’s had an opportunity to share his culture and creativity via YouTube.
Using his family’s recipes as inspiration for his content, GoldenGully’s videos have been viewed a total of 4.7 billion times and his audience has grown to over 5.55 million subscribers. Bilal considers his growing career as a Canadian creator as proof that there are huge audiences around the globe that are keen to learn and share cultural stories.