YouTube and content creation

About the business

Making videos, publishing them on YouTube and earning from the ads shown on them. Simple to say, but the money works out differently from what most people are told. YouTube pays the creator 55 percent of ad revenue on long videos and 45 percent on Shorts, keeping the rest. To start earning at all a channel needs at least 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in the past year, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. On 11 August 2026 YouTube said both thresholds are doubling for new channels - 8,000 watch hours and 20 million Shorts views. Even then no money moves until the AdSense balance passes 100 dollars, after which it is paid to the bank the following month. Take a local example: PCBuilder Bangladesh has over 674,000 subscribers after ten years, employs more than 40 people, pays about Tk 700,000 a month in salaries and another Tk 300,000 to run its office - and it survives by selling its own mouse pads, cooling fans and an online store, not on ad revenue alone. That is the real lesson: even a large channel is not fed by ad money by itself; the income comes from sponsors, own products and services. One genuinely good change: the FY2026-27 budget exempted income from content creation from both income tax and VAT.

Unit economics

What you need to start

• At minimum a phone, a lavalier mic (Boya BY-M1 Tk 940) and a tripod (from Tk 1,800). To scale up: a camera (Canon EOS R100 with lens Tk 55,242), an editing laptop (Core i5 13th gen Tk 59,900-112,000) and a softbox light (Tk 9,500). All prices StarTech, 16 September 2026.Equipment
• Trade licence from the city corporation or municipality, needed once you operate as a firm or employ people: form Tk 10, licence book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, stamp Tk 150-300, licence fee Tk 100-60,000 by trade type.Licence
• Freelancer ID card from the ICT Division, free (freelancersgov.bd). Requires at least US$50 earned in the past year, plus a marketplace profile or work order, an income screenshot, a bank statement and the national ID. Not compulsory, but useful for proving income at a bank.Licence
• Shooting, capturing sound and editing. 10 Minute School charges Tk 1,250 for Video Making; its mobile design and freelancing primer courses are free.Skill
• A Google AdSense account linked to a bank account. A TIN is also required before payments are released.Supplier
• A corner of a room is enough, provided outside noise stays out. A team needs an office - PCBuilder Bangladesh spends about Tk 300,000 a month running theirs.Workspace

How the work is done

1. 1Decide the subject first, and check who is already working on it in Bangla and how many viewers they get.
2. 2Start with the phone you already have. A Boya BY-M1 lavalier mic is Tk 940 at StarTech and a tripod starts at Tk 1,800 - sound and a steady frame are the first two things to fix.
3. 3Learn editing. 10 Minute School's Video Making course is Tk 1,250 and its mobile design course is free.
4. 4Open the channel from a Google account, turn on two-step verification, and upload nothing but your own work - borrowed video or music means monetisation will never be approved.
5. 5Publish regularly and track watch time. The current bar is 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours in a year; for new channels it is moving to 8,000 hours.
6. 6Open Google AdSense before applying for monetisation, then add the bank account and TIN.
7. 7When the AdSense balance reaches 10 dollars, verify the address with the PIN that arrives by post - without this the money stays locked.
8. 8Do not rely on ad revenue alone. Build a second line - sponsorship, your own product, or a course. That is how the country's larger channels actually survive.
9. 9Bring the money in through the bank. From FY2026-27 income from content creation is exempt from both income tax and VAT, so there is nothing to hide.
10. 10Get the ICT Division's free freelancer ID card - it helps prove income at the bank. It requires at least 50 dollars earned in the past year.

Sources

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