---
title: 'I''m Leaving YouTube and Here''s Why...'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=5-7mEAlCjBA'
video_id: '5-7mEAlCjBA'
date: 2026-08-08
duration_sec: 771
channel: 'Харчевников'
---

# I'm Leaving YouTube and Here's Why...

> Source: [I'm Leaving YouTube and Here's Why...](https://youtube.com/watch?v=5-7mEAlCjBA)

## Summary

The video is a personal and analytical farewell from a Russian YouTuber who has decided to leave the platform due to a significant decline in views and reach, which he attributes to YouTube's slowdown in Russia. He shares his channel's history, financial data, and the strategic decisions he's making in response to the changing landscape, while also critiquing Russian alternatives like VK Video and RBE.

### Key Points

- **Channel History and Scale** [00:01] — The creator started with a magic channel in 2009, then a main channel in 2013. Over 8 years, he published 500+ videos, gained nearly 300 million views, and earned over 100 million rubles.
- **First Difficulties in 2022** [02:17] — In February 2022, direct YouTube monetization left Russia, and many foreign ad campaigns were cancelled. Traffic remained, but monetization shifted.
- **Slowdown Impact in Late 2024** [03:13] — By October-November 2024, the YouTube slowdown in Russia severely affected views. Videos that previously gained 200K+ views were getting less than 100K, and strong videos that should have hit 500K+ were only reaching 200K.
- **Quantified View Decline** [04:07] — Average views in November 2024 were 107,000, compared to 328,000 in November 2023 (excluding a video that got 2 million views). This represents a drop in reach of almost 70%.
- **Monetization Paradox** [04:21] — Despite the view drop, monetization in November 2024 increased by 2x because viewers using ad-blocking tools (due to the slowdown) actually increased ad impressions. However, this was offset by the overall view decline.
- **Audience Engagement Still High** [05:43] — Audience engagement within individual videos has not fallen, suggesting the decline is not due to content quality but rather external factors like the slowdown and notification issues.
- **November 2024: Best and Worst** [06:24] — November 2024 was one of the most profitable months in channel history due to seasonal ad sales, but also the worst in terms of views collected, undermining advertiser confidence.
- **Strategic Response** [07:14] — The creator decided to reduce video frequency (from 8-9 per month to 4), part ways with some staff, tighten the idea filter, and focus on improving content quality to adapt to the new reality.
- **Russian Alternatives Fail** [07:44] — Experiments with VK Video and RBE showed poor results: only one video on VK gained over 6,000 views, while others got 10-155 views. The platforms lack effective recommendation algorithms and organic growth for new creators.
- **Final Decision to Leave** [10:11] — The creator is leaving YouTube in its usual format, citing the slowdown and the failure of Russian alternatives to provide a viable ecosystem. He will continue with side projects and a podcast, but will release videos much less frequently.

### Conclusion

The creator is stepping back from his regular YouTube schedule due to a 70% drop in reach caused by the platform's slowdown in Russia, while noting that monetization paradoxically increased. He criticizes Russian alternatives for lacking effective algorithms and urges young creators to continue using platforms with recommendation systems, like YouTube, despite the challenges.

## Transcript

income dropped fivefold against the backdrop of the start of the YouTube slowdown in Russia in July 2024, how I was forced to say goodbye to my staff of editors, scriptwriters, and editors, video publishing system stopped working and cut more than 70% of my views on
YouTube, how income from direct YouTube monetization increased against the backdrop of views and how much my YouTube channel alone earned in total, for all the time in Russia, what do Russian analogues offer to content makers like me, how willing am I to
analogues offer to content makers like me, how willing am I to views became one of the most profitable, and why I decided, so to speak, to leave YouTube in its usual format, in short, I will share interesting behind-the-scenes
obvious and not always accessible to you, dear viewers, who, however, accept this as the most important from a consumer point of view. It seems I am leaving consumer point of view. It seems I am leaving YouTube and here's
YouTube and Viking Yak from a very early age. It all started with a channel about magic created in 2009, where I show magic with cards and coins in my underwear. Like if you found the original, otherwise the channel was hacked and the video cannot be
deleted. Then the registration of another channel continued. In 2011, when I actively dynamic movies, I made funny videos. With my classmates at school, and then the registration of the main channel in 2013. Where are you now
started with game reviews, let's plays. and pranks, and it all ended with conducting Internet acquiring, investigating fraudulent schemes and analyzing Internet phenomena and news. Now I'm 25 and for the
last 15 years I have been doing what I have been doing, I am fond of video making to one degree or another, and a little more than 8 years ago I created my first video, which organically thousands of views. Before that, 7 years ago I have nothing worked from that moment I
started releasing videos almost every Sunday, and for the last 4 years every Thursday and Sunday. During this time, the channel has gained almost 300 million views, taking into account hidden and deleted videos, more than 500 videos have been published about the channel,
more than 100 million rubles have been earned. The first difficulties arose in February 2022, day, the cancellation of many advertising campaigns for foreign products suddenly flew off, direct monetization YouTube left the RF. But the most valuable thing remained was traffic, people
watch videos. But in the middle of twenty-four, problems began YouTube by many political Russian channels in Yulia, the platform began to slow down, restricting access to certain Russian IP addresses, long loading of
most of my viewers, did not notice this and the videos in general were gaining normally. Yes, with a slight drawdown. But it was more like and seasonality, average gain less, it seemed that the traffic on  YouTubers and people
will massively use means to bypass blocks when views remained and some videos did not even gain their minimum of 100,000 views. Although I previously considered a video unsuccessful if it did not gain at
least two 200,000 views, taking into account my schedule of 8 dashes of videos per month, September came and the negative trend continued while I still seasonality and In general, a decline in the quality of released video works and strengthened the filter for
selecting ideas for creating videos. In general, everything was OK until October and November, when the slowdown of the tube began to more strongly affect views, 10,000 views within an hour after publication, which was a disaster for me
5 years ago when the channel had a much smaller audience. As videos were still released every Thursday and Sunday and the trend of declining videos that should have gained  200K plus views gained less than
100,000 and strong videos gained 200K plus views Although they should have had 500,000 plus Judging by the analytics over the past years and the developed habit. subjective and it is impossible to perfectly measure dependence in creativity, but
fulfill advertising obligations and stop changing the format and accepting something until the average channel views fell 10 times compared to the results six months ago. By the way, yes. If we compare November separately, the
average number of views at the moment is approximately 107,000 views. If we take videos for the same November but in 2023, the average view is 328,000, this is without taking into account Benge, which flew in at almost 2 million views during that period, a drop in
reach of almost 70%, but with the prelisti rati, monetization in November 2024 increased by 2 from  Because viewers are now watching YouTube with tools to bypass ads depending on the server country, the number of
slowdown, so in fact it has not increased much because the views themselves have fallen. not connected with the slowdown, but the quality of your work has really dropped and become boring, so views have gone into a sharp decline. Undoubtedly, if you create
high retention, then the Tube algorithms will help you find views among the remaining traffic. Well, then you need to lower the frequency of content release so that it does not quickly sell to the viewer, and also spend much more time and resources
on creating each video. For more than 4 years, my channel has been releasing 8 dashes of videos per month. I have long ago turned my channel into a kind of TV with a the videos really come out boring and passable despite our efforts, but
more often, judging by your feedback, they are interesting. The reach on the channel sometimes rises and falls, but on average per quarter it remains at a good level. This was the case for almost all these 4 years before the start.  Is this related to the slowdown and the decline? I don't
argue whether this is related to the YouTube slowdown. The second important point is that engagement of the audience in the content within an individual video have not fallen, which decline in interest in the content. However, this cannot be considered a maximally objective argument,
dependence in combination with these two factors. Given the current situation, if we channels with a constant content production system are doing worse. Channels
views from their regular audience, which at the moment lost access to for viewing immediately after their release because, due to the slowdown, notifications simply did not reach open. Additional actions must be taken. This greatly affected the
led to a sharp deterioration in the performance of such channels, which I ago, it's funny that November was probably one of the most profitable months in the entire
history of the channel because before that, views were more or less OK, and autumn and December is the most seasonal month for those who release regular content. And on YouTube, from the point of view of advertising sales, but at the same time, November was the
worst in terms of views collected on videos, and this noticeably undermined the desire of advertisers to place further placements in December at current prices. Then I was faced with a choice: to ping advertising prices while maintaining the schedule command and
frequency of video releases, or to take a break, reassemble the format and adapt to the new reality, trying to restore the picture on the channel and even improve it. What price ceiling correctly, they began to reduce production in order to contain the price. Sorry, this is
not the best example. However, I accepted something similar, with some of the scriptwriters and editors, I was forced to say goodbye to give up income at the moment, reduce the number of released videos and tighten the filter for selecting ideas for videos and begin to
immerse myself more in content, trying to reassemble both the formats and the schedule itself. not nine videos were released, but only four in January, this video is the third in a month. Yes, I test and implement reforms to improve content quality. Of course,
a lot of work still needs to be done, and the idea selection filter will have to be better adjusted. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Why all these complications when there are Russian equivalents, for example, in VK video or RBE? Why not upload content there as usual and not
recommendations? I already voiced my complaint to Second Channel regarding problems with the algorithms. Yes, I have ago, the VK admin reuploaded my public page at my request. Almost 400 of my videos from
YouTube, which together gained millions of views organically YouTube itself, have gained only one video on VK more than 6,000 views. VK doesn't know who to suggest them to. There are videos that have gained 10, dash, 155 views.
unclear how these views are even counted, taking into account  that videos of exclusive programs are gaining, to put it mildly, unrealistic numbers compared to the same YouTube. But this is a different topic for experts, which I do not plan to speak about today. I
recommend watching the videos, and Bad Comedy's VK covers this topic comments. At that time, on YouTube itself, organically, in total, millions of views over this period, you will say. The fact is that I uploaded an old
video that had already been released to VK. Well, on YouTube, as old videos that are still in demand. Yes, VK came to me several times and offered various kinds of paid contracts, including additional promotion of videos for
financial point of view. When you work for YouTube, they ask you to make exclusive may be a little more expensive than the cost of your integration, but not much and not always, and it is not particularly profitable when there is YouTube,
when videos can be uploaded there and work there, but this is about me, and I am not because my videos do not collect Millions of views, they are specific topics. They are not suitable for such a wide audience, so it is more interesting to upload
in addition to money from integration will also bring you a real organic influx of new and important audience. Well, I did n’t upload my important videos to RBE; I can’t; the results of my experiment indicate that they also knocked a couple of times, but to be
fair, it was a long time ago now, as if they are not heard. The result is No, I am not against the development of Russian analogues and I am not against buying bloggers. I myself am not against creating additional unique content for any platform, but only
for money, otherwise my videos will simply not be seen. Judging by my experiment, I am rather against slowing down YouTube and forcing Russian authors which, in my opinion, are still not ready and work on the principle of television,
buying good programs and driving traffic there, but not creating an organic environment for cultivating young bloggers and attracting free views to the platform. In such an environment, new bloggers and content creators do not grow, but die out
only platform that works normally from the point of view of algorithms is blocked, Where are these algorithms?  falsely, they do n't work yet, so I, as a content creator who couldn't reach an agreement with VK or TBO, am leaving the slowing down with the
tube. Until better times or forever. I hope you appreciate what I forever. I hope you appreciate what I shared with you today, both from the point of view of monetary motivation and from the point of view of media motivation, and I hope you will accept this as
you might have guessed, now the videos will be released much less frequently. I will better, so I will be extremely grateful for your activity, your likes if you liked the video, dislikes if not, comments with criticism that will help
the channel become better, but what will I do next? Fortunately, involved in creating third-party projects without reference to my person for the purpose of additional monetization. Some projects in recent years are doing
much better than my YouTube channel, so don't worry about me. Thank you. which I am not going to stop, where I host my personal stories, as well as Subscribe using the link in the description. In the description, you will also find a link to my
podcast channel, which I started in the spring.  and I plan to resume in the near future, young creators, I appeal to you if you want to shoot videos and express yourself creatively. Continue to do this through any available platforms where there is
recommendation algorithms. YouTube, despite the slowdown, continues to be such a platform. Here, it is still possible to get millions of views, diversify it into other social networks. Dear viewers, continue to
use the platform and know that always, but more often people try for you, I hope I say goodbye to you within the usual format, but I do not say goodbye.
the comments. How long have you been subscribed to the channel? Watch it. And what videos have you managed to catch that have already been deleted or hidden? By the way, it is always very interesting to read because you
immediately understand how long you have been on the channel and thank you for approaching in real life and telling your stories. Thank you for the Content. It is always a pleasure to continue doing this. This is very motivating. Tears in my eyes
I am recording this video, but I will not give them to you. I'll show you See you soon I'll show you See you soon [music]