Youtube Screenshot Sweden’s PewDiePie is the most popular YouTuber in the world right now.

YouTube videos can be big business for top independent content creators. These are the YouTube stars who have huge online fanbases — even though most people have never heard of them.

We picked out 20 of the biggest stars, who could each be earning more than $US1 million a year in ad revenue — in some cases much more.

A range of earnings estimates for each channel was provided by YouTube analytics company SocialBlade. Its estimates are placed within upper and lower limits, based on their daily views multiplied by a low cost-per-thousand impression advertising (CPM) rate of $US0.60 and a high rate of $US5. The range is wide to account for differences in the type of ad (including kinds of banner ads and pre-roll) and brand value. These estimates also assume that every video is monetized, which is not always the case.

Even after subtracting Google’s 45% cut, these YouTube stars have got it made.

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