Lyndsay Duthie

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The amateur boxing match between YouTube stars
[KSI](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVtFOytbRpEvzLjvqGG5gxQ) (UK) and
[Logan Paul](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG8rbF3g2AMX70yOd8vqIZg)
(USA) on August 25 could amass more than 20m views, if [previous
events](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ksi-vs-joe-weller-fight-youtube-who-won-boxing-match-saturday-diss-track-logan-paul-a8196851.html)
are anything to go by. That's [more than watched the
finals](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rival-gamers-have-a-real-ding-dong-lsw2kk5zs)
of the FA Cup, or Wimbledon.

This is big news and big business. With [pay-per-view on
YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzQl-Mv6-Q) priced at £7.50 a
pop and tickets at the Manchester Arena going for anywhere between [£34
and
£516](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/youtubers-logan-paul-and-ksi-boxing-match-a3917441.html)
-- not to mention the profits from merchandise and sponsorship deals --
this event will make millions for both competitors, regardless of who
wins and loses.

Events such as this position YouTube as a major provider of high
production-value content that speaks directly to its audience. For
example, YouTube reaches [98.3% of Internet
users](https://digiday.com/media/demographics-youtube-5-charts/) in the
age bracket 18 to 24 -- a feat which today's TV networks are [still
working
hard](https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/05/consumers-will-spend-more-time-using-online-media-than-watching-tv-in-2018/)
to replicate.

But with power comes great responsibility, and while YouTube has
[tightened its
rules](https://theconversation.com/why-its-harder-than-ever-to-make-money-on-youtube-90715)
about which YouTube videos can be monetised, the platform is still
[under
pressure](https://theconversation.com/logan-pauls-dead-body-video-reinforces-call-for-better-child-protection-online-89617)
to take greater responsibility for the content posted on its site.

## Meet the contestants

Both KSI and Logan Paul boast more than 18m subscribers each, having
spent years uploading videos and building their following on YouTube.
KSI's real name is Olajide William Olatunji. He is a 25-year-old British
YouTuber, who [started
out](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/youtubers-logan-paul-and-ksi-boxing-match-a3917441.html)
making videos of himself playing FIFA when he was just 15. Now, he earns
an estimated £2.3m a year.

<figure class="align-center">
<img
src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233439/original/file-20180824-149493-1o6ltod.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip"
decoding="async" />
<figcaption><span class="caption">Logan Paul (left) and KSI
(right).</span> <span class="attribution"><span
class="source">YouTube.</span></span></figcaption>
</figure>

US YouTube star Logan Paul, age 22, first found fame on the super short
form video sharing app Vine, before switching to YouTube where he now
has two channels earning him around £11m a year.

KSI pioneered this new genre of crossover -- the YouTube boxing match --
with his first "grudge match" against YouTuber [Joe
Weller](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLk9wddjT0F-HILLRFXodtg), who
has 4m subscribers. Buoyed from [his win against
Weller](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ksi-vs-joe-weller-fight-youtube-who-won-boxing-match-saturday-diss-track-logan-paul-a8196851.html)
in February this year, [KSI
said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4bDWUD-EkQ):

> If any YouTuber wants it, you can come get it. Jake Paul, Logan Paul,
> any of the Pauls, I don't care.

And what a smart move that was, gaining KSI an extra 2m subscribers, as
well as fame among US YouTube users, when Logan Paul came on board.

## TV executives, take note

Although most of their videos are free to view, YouTube stars can make
massive earnings. According to [numbers published by
YouTube](https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/719388/KSI-vs-Logan-Paul-staggering-amount-YouTube-fight-revealed-video),
KSI racks up more than 5m views each day, which converts to roughly
£7,600 in revenue. After tax, he will make around £4,600 a day from
YouTube alone.

[Advertisers pay
YouTube](https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/products/youtube-trueview/)
according to the number of views lasting more than 30 seconds or clicks
to their ads. In turn, YouTube [pays a
proportion](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42395224/evan-edinger-the-five-ways-youtubers-make-money)to
the content creators.

How much a YouTuber earns from the advertisements on their videos
depends on who watches them, and how much attention they pay to the ads.
The loyal subscribers of YouTube stars such as KSI and Logan Paul make
up a very specific younger demographic, which can otherwise be
[difficult for brands to
reach](https://digiday.com/media/demographics-youtube-5-charts/) on TV.

TV networks have also recognised the value of YouTube stars, and are
already trying to get them involved in the more traditional format. For
example, the BBC has recruited Thatcher Joe -- aka Joe Sugg, brother of
YouTube darling
[Zoella](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRV5AVOlKJR1Flvgt310Cw) -- to
appear as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant, no
doubt hoping his 10m YouTube followers will come along for the ride.

For the most part, YouTube is a solitary viewing experience. But this
live boxing match is YouTube's version of event TV -- everyone will be
watching at same time. The fact that YouTube can achieve viewers in the
millions here makes it a real alternative traditional TV.

## Money, money, money

YouTube [has already
announced](https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/02/my-five-priorities-for-creators-in-2018_1.html)
its intentions to help its creators find other ways to make money, apart
from advertising. And events such as boxing matches are [one means to
this
end](https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/26/17053896/logan-paul-jake-ksi-neji-youtube-boxing).

KSI and Logan Paul have both spent the past six months ramping up the
hype for their fight, publishing "diss" tracks and updates on their
training for their fans to follow. This is their main means of selling
merchandise and tickets and building subscribers. Their loyal followers
can't get enough of their antics and will pay for the opportunity to see
them in action.

It will also open the door to sponsorships: someone like KSI can point
to the number of people watching his videos, to argue that big brands
should get involved, as they are hitting the equivalent of viewing
numbers for traditional TV and beyond, with longevity on their YouTube
channels to exploit further.

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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_A6aiEOjF8"
target="_blank">Sieh dir dieses Video auf www.youtube.com an</a> oder
aktiviere JavaScript, falls es in deinem Browser deaktiviert sein
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</figure>

 

Yet YouTube stars have been known to take drama to the extreme. Earlier
this year, [Logan Paul posted a
vlog](https://theconversation.com/logan-pauls-dead-body-video-reinforces-call-for-better-child-protection-online-89617)
showing the lifeless body of a suicide victim, which was met with
massive backlash from the wider public. In response, YouTube
[temporarily suspended
ads](https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/9/16986014/logan-paul-youtube) on
his channel.

It can feel like nothing is off limits if it will pull in subscribers.
And this creates a difficult problem for YouTube, since it raises
questions over online censorship and who is policing online content.

Logan Paul is so confident that he will beat KSI that he has bet \$1m on
himself to win. But this is pocket money, compared with the millions
that he and KSI are on track to earn in merchandise and ticket sales.
And whatever happens, a rematch has already been scheduled in the US in
February 2019. Kerching!

*The author would like to thank her son, Zach Duthie, for his help with
the research for this article.*

 
:::

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**Lyndsay Duthie** is Head of the Film and Television Programme at
the [University of
Hertfordshire](https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-hertfordshire-799).
 She is an executive producer with television credits for BBC, ITV,
Channel 4, Discovery Network and SKY. Her career began at ITV on talk
shows where she spent 10 years originating and producing hit series and
documentaries, becoming one of the country's youngest showrunners aged
23. Lyndsay has filmed a diverse range of documentary output ranging
from serial killers on Death Row to the UK's first 12-year-old dad. From
ITV Lyndsay moved to Endemol, before founding her own company Ice Blue
Media. She has served on the Board of Directors for Women in Film & TV
(WFTV) and judged at the Royal Television Society Awards and
International Emmys. In 2013 Lyndsay took up post as Head of the Film
and Television programme and Principal Lecturer for University of
Hertfordshire. Lyndsay is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
and winner of the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Education
for 3 years running (2013-2016). Lyndsay is Co-author of The TV Studio
Production Handbook published by I.B Tauris (2016) and a TV Critic for
publications; The Independent, BBC News and The Conversation.
:::


The amateur boxing match between YouTube stars KSI (UK) and Logan Paul (USA) on August 25 could amass more than 20m views, if previous events are anything to go by. That’s more than watched the finals of the FA Cup, or Wimbledon. This is big news and big business.

Messaggi di Rogue Scholar

KSI vs Logan Paul YouTube boxing match: stars sparring with traditional broadcasters to make millions