Have We Reached Peak YouTube? Top Creators See Major Slowdown

Top YouTube stars are seeing a major slowdown in subscriber growth and views, according to a new analysis of traffic and other stats. Some of the shift is being blamed on changes in its algorithm, but many others are speculating that Google's video behemoth may have reached peak viewership.

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Top YouTube creators like PewDiePie and Zoella are seeing a major massive slowdown in both subscriber growth and total channel views, according to a new analysis. Business Insider used stats from SocialBlade, which tracks YouTube and other social networks. 

PewDiePie has been the subject of several controversies which could have hurt or helped his stats. But YouTube star Zoella's career has been on nothing but a positive trajectory, expect on YouTube.  Despite branching out beyond to books, events, beauty products, and a even an advent calendar, Zoella's online video stats are suffering.

In another example, UK YouTuber DanTDM, who vlogs about gaming, has one of the most popular British YouTube channels. He also just topped Forbes' list of the highest paid YouTube stars in the world, with an estimated income of $16.5 million.  But his 2017 YouTube stats are also negative.

Some creators are bucking the trend. But overall the Business Insider analysis points, for whatever reason, to a new ceiling for YouTube creators.

Overall, YouTube has over a billion users - almost one-third of all people on the Internet - and each day those users watch a billion hours of video, generating billions of views.  That's a massive audience to tap into. But as YouTube increases its music efforts in 2018, it will be important to watch if its growth continues; or if some users migrating to other platforms. 

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