As a YouTube addict, I'm not surprised. There's a whole other advertising revenue stream that BEC is just not doing, because they have the monster viewcounts to avoid it and still make a living: in-video sponsorships.
I follow a lot of smaller full time YouTubers, nearly all do sponsored advertising within their videos.
That is where advertisers are indeed paying more for quality content highly targeted to their consumers - directly to the creators, not through Google's platform.
Those deals can be very lucrative because audiences are more receptive to advertising that comes from, and directly supports, the creators they follow.
I've seen creators I respect take somewhat dubious sponsorships and still be supported by their fans. The recent Established Titles controversy was a good example of that. [1]
I follow a lot of smaller full time YouTubers, nearly all do sponsored advertising within their videos.
That is where advertisers are indeed paying more for quality content highly targeted to their consumers - directly to the creators, not through Google's platform.
Those deals can be very lucrative because audiences are more receptive to advertising that comes from, and directly supports, the creators they follow.
I've seen creators I respect take somewhat dubious sponsorships and still be supported by their fans. The recent Established Titles controversy was a good example of that. [1]
[1]: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna59518