YouTube became a revenue-generating haven for many creators. What started as a platform for long-form video has made several AI creators millionaires with their ‘Shorts’ feature. However, launched before the advancement of AI, a channel with just one video garnered over 150 million views, raking in a revenue of $1 million. What’s that? It’s simply a 10-hour-long video of a fireplace.
YouTube channel Fireplace 10 hours uploaded one video 9 years ago. It has 111,000 subscribers. Born way before ‘Lofi Girl’, the video loops for 10 hours, with a crackling sound effect. It quickly became popular during winter, especially during Christmas and acted as ambient audio. Tattoo shops, studios, and even restaurants played this video on loop.
Fireplace 10 hours – Revenue and reactions
Based on a SocialBlade estimate, the channel bagged a total ad revenue of $1.2 million over the 9 years, which makes it nearly $140,000 per year. With views over 150 million and 111k subscribers, the creator’s estimated daily earnings ran in hundreds of dollars. The timeless visuals and calming sound help the video peak in colder months, evoking a sense of nostalgia. The 10-hour duration allows people to leave it running in the background, taking the total ad impressions compound over the years.
There are several similar channels which copied their model, including rain, ocean, and even lo-fi girl. A popular version of songs, lo-fi or low fidelity, works on enhancing the imperfections in music, such as background noise, static, and tape hiss, creating an unpolished but nostalgic spin to the song. These channels monetise based on premium subscriptions, cross-platform audio (such as Spotify), and even membership models on YouTube.
Does India have its ‘fireplace’?
While India may not have its ‘fireplace’ format, AI-slop became one of the highest consumed content on YouTube. The channel ‘Bandar Apna Dost‘ earned over $4.25 million per year from its 2.8 million subscribers, 618 videos, and more than 2 billion views.
The channel produces completely AI-generated content, which features short, hyper-repetitive clips of a morphed monkey. On YouTube, there are nearly 300 AI-slop channels and drive huge eyeballs everyday.
