Thee Pluto Denounces YouTube’s Bias Against African Creators
Popular Kenyan content creator Robert Ndegwa, better known as Thee Pluto, has called out YouTube for its discriminatory practices against African creators. He highlighted the stark difference in earnings between African and Western creators, lamenting the meager income earned by Kenyan YouTubers despite their high-quality content.
Pluto specifically criticized the platform’s “RPM (Revenue Per Mille)” issue, which determines how much a creator earns per 1,000 video views. He revealed that Kenyan creators receive significantly less than their Western counterparts, despite producing equally engaging content.
“Here is a quick one… An average amount YouTube pays you for 1 M views in Kenya is 100k and an average amount a USA YouTube content creator gets paid for 1 M views is 1.2M shillings (7825 dollars),” Pluto wrote on his Instagram story, emphasizing the vast disparity.
In March 2023, Pluto sparked controversy by sharing a screenshot of his YouTube earnings dashboard, revealing that he had earned over Sh9 million on the platform. However, his recent post suggests that even despite his significant success, he still feels the sting of YouTube’s biased compensation system.
Pluto’s criticism adds to the growing chorus of complaints from African creators who feel undervalued and exploited by YouTube. This issue highlights the need for greater transparency and fairness in the platform’s monetization process, ensuring that creators from all regions are compensated fairly for their contributions.
