Ads or subscribers? Kunal Kamra’s recent pivot tests creator paywall gamble

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Standup comic Kunal Kamra is the latest creator to chase recurring revenue over advertiser money but his move raises the question---will audiences actually pay to keep the jokes coming?

Kamra, who will humour his audiences for Rs 299 a month, said membership will help him create content without being restricted by advertiser guidelines. Samay Raina also shares the same thought. He  had earlier  said that memberships allow him to stay independent. "I can keep the show exactly as it is."

For Kunal, this isn’t a creative choice, it’s an existential one, said Anirudh Sridharan, Co-Founder and Head of Product at HashFame, a networking platform for creators and marketers.

Kunal has never been a brand-safe creator and that cuts him out of 90 percent of India’s creator revenue flywheel, he said. "When the ad economy rejects you, you build your own economy. The paywall becomes survival."

But Kamra isn’t the only one making the switch. Many top creators are flipping the script.

Tanmay Bhatt and Samay Raina are shifting away from pure ad-based content and are experimenting with YouTube membership tiers, and pay-walled livestreams while Samdish Bhatia, Abhi and Niyu, Ravish Kumar, and several independent music creators have experimented with paid memberships.

How much can creators earn via subscription?

Indian memberships usually fall between Rs 59 and Rs 599 and a 1,000 paying members can change the economics, noted Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy.

A creator with around 1 million subscribers can make Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh a month from memberships, even if 0.5-1 percent of viewers convert, which matches global conversion benchmarks of 0.5 to 2 percent, noted Suyash Lahoti - Partner, Wit & Chai Group. "Most winning tiers in India sit between Rs 59 and Rs 199."

According to Krisneil Peres, Co-Founder, Fame Keeda, a creator can earn anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 500 per subscriber monthly, depending on tier pricing. "To make subscriptions a viable income stream, say Rs 1–2 lakh per month, they’d need at least 3,000–5,000 active paying members."

How much do creators earn via ads?

YouTube ad revenues in India range from Rs 20 to Rs 150 per 1,000 views. "Even a million views might earn only Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000—significant for large channels but unstable and heavily dependent on algorithmic reach," said Chandan Sharma, General Manager- Digital Media, Adani Group.

Ad versus subscription--- what pays better?

YouTube memberships and channel subscriptions offer creators a recurring income stream, fewer algorithm-pressure worries, and more control over their content rhythm, said Rohit Agarwal, founder and director, Alpha Zegus, a gaming marketing agency.

The trade-off, he said, is that creators must deliver consistent value that keeps members engaged and paying. "Membership earnings tend to scale when creators have over 100,000 highly engaged subscribers, ideally with 10–15 percent of them converting to paid members. If creators charge Rs 99/month and convert 10,000 members, that's Rs 1.2 crore annualised income before platform and tax cuts. Contrast that with ad-revenue at Rs 50-Rs 200 per 1,000 views in India."

While membership income can out-strip ad income and be far more predictable, the conversion and retention challenge is real, Agarwal added.

Typically, one to three percent of an engaged audience converts, pointed Ambika Sharma.

For most creators, subscription is not feasible, Anirudh Sridharan noted. "India’s creator economy is still advertiser-funded. Brands, not audiences, pay the bills."

Ads and sponsorships pay better for the majority, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO, KlugKlug said. "Subscriptions pay better only for niche creators with low churn. The best strategy is to combine both, avoid relying on only one."

In India, creators usually need at least 100,000 subscribers and strong monthly viewership before memberships begin generating substantial income; even then, conversion rates often sit below 1 percent unless the creator has a powerful niche, a strong brand identity, and a loyal community, Chandan Sharma said.

"YouTube pays creators roughly 70 percent of membership revenue after taxes and fees, which means that if the monthly membership is Rs 799, it translates to about Rs 559 earned per paying user. Also, membership fees can go as low as Rs 59, which demands a considerable number of subscribers before generating anything substantial," he added.

A top creator who had tried the subscription model a couple of years ago only saw a few hundreds paying for  his exclusive content, which was priced between Rs 70 and 150.

Ad earnings fluctuate with Cost Per Mille (CPMs) or Cost Per Thousand, seasonality, and brand demand, whereas subscription revenue is direct and predictable, Yasin Hamidani, Director, Media Care Brand Solutions noted. "Top entertainers can earn lakhs monthly through ads, while niche educators or commentators may find steady income via memberships."

Are Indian creators warming up to subscription?

While large-scale examples in India are fewer than in the US, Rohit Agarwal expects more creators to adopt subscriptions in the next 12–24 months.

Amid the creators Ambika Sharma's agency is managing, she sees YouTube membership as part of a much larger shift. "Creators are no longer building audiences, they are building economies."

However, Kalyan Kumar said that the real success in subscription is limited to creators with loyal, high-intent audiences. "Most channels enable memberships, but few earn significant income. It’s feasible only when superfans are willing to pay for access, perks, or community value."

Hamidani noted that subscriptions account for up to 20–30 percent of top creators’ income abroad. "Indian creators are still catching up.