Twitch megastar Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins has estimated how much money he has earned over the course of 2018, following a year where he rose to the very top of gaming entertainment.
Known primarily for his Twitch streams, Ninja also runs a YouTube channel with over 20 million subscribers – for some perspective, he had just over 400,000 at the start of 2018.
His Twitch channel is closing in on 13 million followers (that’s 7 million more than 2nd most followed channel, shroud), and all of that, plus sponsorships and brand deals, means the former Halo pro is raking in an incredible amount of money.
With ad revenue, Twitch subscriptions, donations, bits and sponsors, it would be very difficult to calculate the exact amount, but – for the first time – Ninja has given his best estimate of his earnings over the past 12 months.
Speaking to CNN, Blevins reckons he has earned “close to $10 million”, with everything combined, a mouth-watering figure and one that could inspire the next generation of gaming entertainers. He explained that around 70% of that comes from Twitch and YouTube alone.
At his peak, Ninja reportedly had over 250,000 paying Twitch subs, and even if they were all $4.99 tier 1 subs (there are also $9.99 tier 2, and $24.99 tier 3), he was earning (roughly) over $800,000 just from subscribers, even after Twitch took their cut.
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Let's be real for a minute… 2018 was hands down the greatest year of my life. I have been working toward this goal my entire life, gaming since I was a kid.
Take control of your destiny this year and make shit happen. Love you all
— Ninja (@Ninja) January 1, 2019
This high a subscriber count was somewhat unsustainable, but even now, he is believed to have around 40,000 subscribers (subscriber counts are not provided by Twitch, and so rely on the streamer’s own claim).
But, with over 20 million YouTube subscribers, plus deals with Samsung and Red Bull, Ninja’s Twitch activities are one part of his overall business.
He also has his own clothing line, and in December 2018 dropped an electronic music album on streaming services, named ‘Ninjawerks’.
His public profile continues to be strengthened with appearances on The Ellen Show and Jimmy Fallon, plus streaming Fortnite with Drake and Travis Scott, as Blevins takes the once niche world of gaming entertainment to the mainstream, and he is cashing-in in the process.
