Is sports stories a good niche?
Sports stories looks promising, with room to grow. RPM is on the low side, around $1.5–$3.75 per 1,000 views, so you need a lot of views to earn well. In the last 90 days 2 new channels appeared and 1 of them broke out (beat the niche’s usual views 3×). 31% of channels are faceless, so both faceless and on-camera formats work.
Pros
- 1 new channel broke out in the last 90 days
- The median channel earns an estimated $1.2K – $2.9K a month
- Fewer rivals: we track 13 channels here
Cons
- Low RPM: $1.5–$3.75 per 1,000 views
Examples worth studying
The channels beating their niche average by the most, and the biggest breakout videos of the last 90 days. The full list is in the app.
Channels beating the average
dazhuanhhh22,700 subscribersShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)35×$2.6K – $6.5KByNiche estimate, monthly
One More Edge179K subscribersFacelessShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)14×$8K – $20KByNiche estimate, monthly
PGL557K subscribersFaceless(opens YouTube in a new tab)12×$6.3K – $15.7KByNiche estimate, monthly
Breakout videos, last 90 days
- Por eso cobran tanto los buenos receptores #nfl #nfltraining #nflplayer #skills #collegefootballAnecdotario Deportivo, 7.1M views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
1,789× - El día que el Real Madrid hizo esta obra de arte #realmadrid #golazo #skills #futbolAnecdotario Deportivo, 1.9M views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
512× - Así entrena un equipo de basquetbol #nba #basketball #training #defenseAnecdotario Deportivo, 900.3K views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
248×
How to start a sports stories channel
31% of channels in this niche are faceless. Both routes are open: faceless videos with a voiceover, or a host talking to camera.
The most common formats among the channels we track: compilation / clip montage (39%), person talking to camera (20%), narrated documentary / explainer (10%).
Study the example channels below: which titles and thumbnails multiply their average, and how long are the videos?
Pick a narrower angle inside sports stories: focus on one audience or one question instead of the generic videos everyone makes.
Aim for the median first: here that’s 28,562 views per video. Ship your first 10 videos in one format, then adjust from the data.
Do the math honestly: 100,000 monthly views in this niche earn roughly $150 – $375. You need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to monetize.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube RPM for sports stories?
Long videos in sports stories earn an estimated $1.5–$3.75 per 1,000 views (Sports category). Shorts pay much less: about $0.04–$0.1 per 1,000 views. RPM also shifts with your viewers’ countries and the ad season.
Can you run a faceless sports stories channel?
31% of the 13 channels we track here are faceless. The most common formats: compilation / clip montage (39%), person talking to camera (20%), narrated documentary / explainer (10%).
How competitive is the sports stories niche?
We track 13 channels. In the last 90 days 2 new channels appeared and 1 beat the niche’s usual views 3×. New channels can still break in.
How much does a sports stories channel make?
The median channel earns an estimated $1.2K – $2.9K a month and gets a median of 28,562 views per video. The estimate comes from the last 30 days of views and the niche’s RPM range; the biggest channels earn far more.