More Nigerians earned thousand-dollar revenues in 2024 as the number of local YouTube channels making between $6,666 and $66,000 in annual revenue doubled.
Exclusive insights from YouTube reveal that the number of Nigerian channels making eight figures (N10 million and below N100 million, i.e., $6,666 and below $66,000) in revenue grew by 100% year-on-year (y-o-y) in 2024.
While the company did not disclose specific figures or channel names, it noted that over 100 Nigerian YouTube channels now boast over one million subscribers, a more than 60% increase from last year.
This surge aligns with the country’s expanding data consumption, which has soared by 699.79% to 1,000,930.60 terabytes (TB) in January 2025 from 125,149.86 TB in December 2019. Video streaming has been a major driver of this increase.
“Social media and streaming content have been crucial in driving data consumption,” said Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, which has 87.55 million subscribers.
The GSMA, a global telecom industry body, highlighted that Nigeria’s growing smartphone adoption has pushed the nation’s internet penetration above the regional average. Approximately 58 million Nigerians, about 29% of the population, use mobile internet. Among them, 85% use it for video calls, 75% for free online videos, and 54% to stream free music.
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Nigeria’s streaming market is a mix of Nollywood, music, comedy skits, and religious content, with a youthful population driving streaming numbers. The country has ranked among the top nations on Spotify’s daily streaming data, resulting in a N58 billion payout to artists in 2024.
However, YouTube remains a dominant player in the streaming landscape, and Nollywood is increasingly leveraging the platform for content distribution. “More Nigerians are watching Nollywood movies on YouTube,” said Adetutu Laditan, former senior product marketing manager for Sub-Saharan Africa at YouTube.
YouTube’s watch time in Nigeria has grown by over 50% in the last year, reaching more than 30 million people aged 18 and above, with over 11 million of them in the 18–29 age group. Additionally, over 1.8 million Nigerians now watch YouTube via connected TVs, leading to a surge in subscriptions for content creators.
According to YouTube, more than 10,000 Nigerian channels now have at least 10,000 subscribers, reflecting a 45 percent y-o-y increase. More than 1,500 channels boast over 100,000 subscribers, a 45% growth from the previous year.
In 2021, Nigeria had over 650 channels with over 100,000 subscribers and only 35 channels with over one million subscribers.
While Nigerian content continues to attract a global audience, there has been a notable rise in domestic consumption. Over 70% of the watch time for Nigerian-produced content still comes from international viewers, slightly down from 75% in 2021.
Christian Kedibe, a YouTuber, recently told BusinessDay that while he has made over N23 million from the channel in four years, he has already made one-third of that this year, signifying an uptake in consumption and earnings.
This boom has created many successful full-time creators. A recent YouTube survey found that more than a quarter (27%) of Nigerian content creators now employ at least one staff member to help manage their channels.