The benchmark for tech YouTube. Marques Brownlee income breakdown for 2026 — tech-niche RPM, sponsorship rates, and why the studio model changes everything.
Tech channel RPM is $3.50–$6 — model your tech YouTube income here.
YouTube Calculator →MKBHD demonstrates why the tech niche is arguably the second-best YouTube niche for income. Tech channel RPMs of $5–$6 are roughly 3× gaming RPMs. More importantly, tech audiences have high disposable income and make frequent high-value purchases — which makes them extremely valuable to advertisers.
At 40M monthly views and a $5.50 RPM, MKBHD earns approximately $220,000/month in ad revenue before YouTube takes its cut. After the 45% cut: $121,000/month, or $1.45M/year from ads alone. Strong, but sponsorships are where the real scale happens.
MKBHD commands $200,000–$500,000 per sponsored integration. Brands like Ridge Wallet, Squarespace, and major tech companies pay this premium because his audience is extremely purchase-intent — people watching smartphone reviews are actively deciding what to buy. He runs approximately 1 sponsor per video, 3–4 videos per month, which compounds to $2.4M–$6M in annual sponsorship revenue.
This is the compounding power of the tech niche: high RPM ads + high-value sponsorships + an audience that trusts product recommendations = income multiple of what the same view count would generate in entertainment or gaming.
MKBHD has built a production studio that is a business in its own right, not just a backdrop for YouTube. His team handles production for other clients and he has equity in tech adjacent businesses. This studio model means his income does not depend entirely on YouTube views — a smart hedge against algorithm changes.