r/canadaguns • u/Batsinvic888 Bats888 on YouTube • 4d ago

News / Politics / Activism YouTube has kneecapped and borderline ended firearms creators

YouTube just announced a new "branded content policy".

This policy prohibits all 3rd-party ads or products given to creators that are firearm- or ammunition-related. Think of TFB TV's product segments for example. The punishment for not disclosing it and uploading anyway is to have the video removed. It is also a crime to not disclose these things in most modern countries (Canada included).

If this is retroactive, we are about to see a truly insane number of channels get deleted and waves of age-restricted videos. If it isn't, we're going to slowly see the dying of the firearms community on YouTube. Like all creators who make their primary living from this, the majority of revenue comes from 3rd parties, not Google Ads. You can still earn Google Ad revenue without 3rd party ads, however, that is a tiny amount compared to 3rd party products of payments. I recommend looking at Linus Tech Tips' breakdown of revenue; it's informative. Firearms content is especially expensive to make.

The only content that will be left will be hobbyist content if this is fully enforced. By that, I mean content like mine where 90% of it comes from my own pockets, and it's part of a hobby I already do. Being a firearms creator as a career will now be borderline impossible. Those who already have a big following can go to other platforms and be okay.

I will still make videos, but I will be impacted by this both in the videos I can make and in any hope of this being more than a hobby.

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u/RedMulbery 4d ago

Unpopular opinion: There’s an incredible amount of shilling in the Guntuber space. An unhealthy focus on the newest product to hit the market and appealing to potential customers, instead of creating content that’s about shooting & having fun.

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u/SpectreBallistics Spectre Ballistics International (Verified) 3d ago

That type of content pays the bills for those channels. It costs a lot of money to have your products featured on the large gun tuber channels. It's a whole industry. Nothing is authentic. It's all advertising.