Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved the Gold YouTube Creator Award just hours after launching his channel. The Portuguese football superstar, who unveiled his YouTube presence on Wednesday, surpassed the 1 million subscriber mark within a few hours, earning him one of the platform’s most coveted accolades.
Ronaldo’s entry into the world of YouTube was met with immediate success. Within hours of posting his debut video, his channel attracted an impressive 1.69 million subscribers. The rapid growth in subscriber count not only reflects Ronaldo’s massive global fanbase but also highlights the growing influence of celebrities in the digital space. On his official X page, Ronaldo expressed his gratitude with a post: “A present for my family. Thank you to all the SIUUU subscribers.” The accompanying video showcases Ronaldo’s excitement as he reveals the Gold Creator Award, celebrating with his family.
YouTube’s Creator Awards, also known as Play Buttons, are a series of accolades given to creators who achieve significant milestones in subscriber count. The awards include the Silver Creator Award for channels that reach 100,000 subscribers, the Gold Creator Award for 1 million subscribers, the Diamond Creator Award for 10 million subscribers, and the Red Diamond Creator Award for an astounding 100 million subscribers.
To qualify for these awards, channels must adhere to several criteria. They must be free of community guidelines violations in the past year, comply with YouTube’s terms of service, and avoid content that is deceptive, spammy, or a scam. Additionally, channels must not have been suspended from the YouTube Partner Program or be linked to terminated accounts. The primary content must be original and not repurposed or plagiarized.
The swift attainment of the Gold Creator Award by Ronaldo underscores the significant earning potential associated with YouTube’s platform. Creators with 1 million subscribers often find themselves in a position to earn a substantial income. Monetization on YouTube can come through various streams, including ad revenue, channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and YouTube Shopping for product promotions.
Ad revenue, a major income source, is influenced by metrics such as CPM (cost per 1,000 ad views) and RPM (revenue per 1,000 video views after YouTube’s share). According to Business Insider, creators with over 1 million subscribers can earn considerable amounts from ads. For instance, Nate O’Brien, a creator with more than 1 million subscribers, reportedly earned $440,000 (approximately Sh58 million) in a year from YouTube, with monthly earnings ranging from $14,600 (Sh1.9 million) to $54,600 (Sh7.2 million).
To begin earning on YouTube, creators must join the YouTube Partner Program, which requires having 500 subscribers, three public uploads in the past 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the past year or 3 million YouTube Shorts views in the last 90 days. Once accepted, they can monetize their channels through the aforementioned revenue streams. Additionally, for AdSense earnings, creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year.
YouTube’s policies emphasize that Creator Awards are for personal use and cannot be sold or distributed outside the channel team. Violating this policy may result in forfeiture of the award, ineligibility for future awards, and potential termination of the YouTube or Google account.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s swift success on YouTube is a testament to his global appeal and the power of social media in shaping modern celebrity careers. As he embarks on this new digital journey, it will be interesting to see how his channel evolves and whether he will continue to break records in the online world.
