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Amol Ghemud Published: February 21, 2026
Summary
YouTube CPM in 2026 ranges from under $1 to over $50, driven primarily by content niche and audience geography rather than view count alone. Finance and investing content consistently earns the highest CPMs of $15–$50, while entertainment, gaming, and music sit at the lower end of the spectrum. Creators who align niche selection, Tier-1 audience targeting, longer video formats, and Q4-focused publishing can significantly outperform the platform average of $3.50.
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The complete reference guide to YouTube CPM benchmarks in 2026 , covering platform averages, key variables, seasonal patterns, and what good looks like by niche
What is YouTube CPM?
YouTube CPM, or Cost Per Mille, is the amount advertisers pay for every 1,000 ad impressions served on a video. It is the advertiser-facing metric and represents gross revenue before YouTube deducts its 45% platform share.
The figure a creator actually takes home is RPM, or Revenue Per Mille. RPM is always lower than CPM and reflects real earnings per 1,000 views after the platform cut and accounting for views that did not serve an ad.
Understanding the difference matters. CPM tells you what advertisers are willing to pay for your audience. RPM shows you how much your channel actually earns.
What is the Average YouTube CPM in 2026?
As of 2026, the global average YouTube CPM sits at approximately $3.50. This is a platform-wide baseline and should be treated as a floor, not a target.
YouTube CPM rates in 2026 vary widely, from under $1 to over $50, depending primarily on niche and audience location. A finance channel drawing US viewers can earn 10–15 times as much per 1,000 impressions as a music channel with the same view count.
For advertisers running campaigns, the average YouTube Ads CPM is $5–$10, with US campaigns running significantly more expensive than global averages. One analysis of over $14 billion in YouTube ad spend placed the US market average at $9.29 for standard video formats.
The takeaway: the platform average is largely irrelevant for strategic decision-making. What matters is the CPM benchmark for your specific niche and target geography.
Six variables have the most consistent impact on CPM performance.
1. Content niche
Niche is the most controllable CPM variable. Advertisers bid more for audiences with high purchase intent and strong lifetime customer value. Finance, legal, technology, and B2B content consistently attract the highest CPMs. Entertainment, music, and gaming sit at the lower end despite often generating larger view volumes.
2. Audience geography
Where your viewers are located directly determines how much competition advertisers face for your impressions. Audiences in Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom attract significantly higher bids than equivalent audiences in India, the Philippines, or Brazil. For a full country-by-country breakdown, see our YouTube CPM by country guide.
3. Video length and ad format
Videos longer than 8–10 minutes qualify for mid-roll ad placements. More ad slots per video increase total ad inventory, which raises effective CPM. Longer videos allow more mid-roll ads without hurting viewer experience, and higher retention improves ad fill rates and RPM.
4. Viewer engagement and watch time
Higher watch time and retention signal content quality to YouTube’s algorithm. This attracts premium ad inventory. Higher watch time and retention improve ad relevance and bidding competition, resulting in a better CPM.
5. Seasonality
Ad spend on YouTube follows a predictable annual cycle. December 2024 averaged $5.70 CPM, with the highest week hitting $6.93 during Cyber Week, a clear sign of holiday-season ad competition. Early-year dips such as $1.98 in January 2025 and summer slumps, reflect reduced advertiser activity. Q4 — October through December — is consistently the highest-earning period across all niches.
6. Ad-friendly content standards
Channels that consistently comply with YouTube’s advertiser policies attract premium programmatic inventory. Content flagged for profanity, controversy, or brand-unsafe topics receives limited or restricted monetisation, which suppresses CPM across all niches and geographies.
Finance dominates the top of the table for a structural reason: financial services advertisers have the highest customer lifetime values on the platform
The CPM calendar on YouTube is consistent year over year. Planning content around this cycle is one of the simplest ways to improve annualised revenue.
Quarter
Typical CPM trend
What drives it
Q1 (Jan–Mar)
Lowest of the year
Advertiser budgets reset after Q4; January dips are common
Q2 (Apr–Jun)
Moderate recovery
Brands deploy Q2 budgets; tax season lifts finance category
Q3 (Jul–Sep)
Summer slowdown
Reduced advertiser activity across most categories
The strategic implication is straightforward. High-quality, long-form content published in August and September has time to gain algorithmic traction before Q4 CPM peaks. Creators who save their best work for January leave significant revenue on the table.
What is a Good CPM on YouTube in 2026?
Context determines what counts as good. A universal benchmark is not particularly useful without niche and geography as reference points.
As a general frame: a CPM above $5 is above the platform average. A CPM above $10 indicates a well-monetised niche with competitive advertiser demand. A CPM above $20 is strong and is most commonly seen in finance, legal, and high-intent technology content targeting Tier-1 audiences.
A good CPM depends on your niche. Generally, $5–$10 is considered average, $10–$15 is good, and $15 or above is excellent. Finance and tech channels often achieve $20 or more CPM, while entertainment and gaming channels average $2–$5.
For advertisers running campaigns rather than monetising content, the benchmark shifts. Campaign CPMs of $5–$10 are typical for broad targeting, while highly specific audience segments in finance or B2B can push $15–$30 CPM on pre-roll formats.
Shorts operate under a different monetisation structure and should not be compared directly to long-form CPM. YouTube Shorts effective CPM currently sits between $0.01 and $0.10 per 1,000 views, reflecting limited ad inventory in the Shorts feed and reduced targeting precision.
Shorts are best evaluated as a discovery and subscriber acquisition channel. Their contribution to revenue is meaningful at high volume, but they are not a substitute for long-form content if CPM optimisation is the goal.
Conclusion
YouTube CPM in 2026 is not a single number. It is the output of decisions about what you publish, who you build your audience around, and how you structure your content for maximum ad inventory.
The platform average of $3.50 is largely a distraction. The more useful question is whether your content niche, audience geography, and publishing cadence are aligned with where advertiser demand is highest.
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FAQs
1. What is a good YouTube CPM in 2026? A CPM above $5 is strong overall. Finance and fintech content typically earns $15–$30, with premium channels going higher.
2. Which YouTube niche has the highest CPM? Finance, investing, credit cards, and fintech niches consistently deliver the highest CPM rates.
3. Which countries have the highest YouTube CPM? The US, Australia, Canada, and the UK generally pay the highest CPMs.
4. Why do finance YouTube channels earn more? Finance audiences have high purchase intent, so advertisers pay more to reach them.
5. Is RPM more important than CPM? Yes. RPM shows what creators actually earn per 1,000 views after revenue share.
6. Do YouTube Shorts have high CPM? No. Shorts earn significantly lower RPMs and are mainly useful for reach
7. How can a channel improve CPM? Focus on Tier-1 audiences, longer videos with mid-rolls, and ad-friendly content.
Disclaimer: CPM and RPM figures in this article are based on publicly available creator benchmark data and industry research as of early 2026. Actual rates vary by niche, geography, ad format, engagement, and seasonality. This content is for informational purposes only.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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