How the desk works
What goes into the Ledger, how values are labeled, and where each number in the tools comes from. If something here is wrong, tell us.
The Ledger
The Ledger holds 189 records from 2018 to 2026. Each has a date (to the day, month or quarter, as the source published it), target, buyer or investor, segment, deal type, stage, the value exactly as published, and a source link.
- Disclosed (18): a party to the deal published the figure, in a release or filing.
- Reported (49): a named outlet or tracker published it, often citing people familiar. The value text says who.
- Undisclosed (122): nobody published a figure. We leave it blank and do not estimate.
When sources disagree, the record shows the primary figure, names the conflicting one, and links both. Influential and Captiv8 are two examples.
Coverage is uneven. 91 of the 189 records are from 2026. Public trackers (MediaLabs, Stellamont, Quartermast, RockWater, each credited on its rows) became much more complete in 2025 and 2026; earlier years carry the notable deals, not all of them. Charts that count deals by year partly measure coverage.
Not every record is a transaction. 2 entries, such as a reported funding round not confirmed closed, or the launch of a roll-up vehicle, are kept for context, labeled, and excluded from transaction counts and rankings.
Buyer names are normalized so that deals by a subsidiary appear under the parent where the source says so (for example, Accenture deals made through Accenture Song). Investor syndicates and founder buybacks are not given buyer pages.
Valuation tool
SDE = revenue − operating expenses + one working owner’s pay + documented one-time costs, as Flippa describes it.
| Benchmark | Figures | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Flippa | ████████ Pro | Median, average and top quartile for YouTube channels sold on Flippa in 2026, citing its H1 2026 Insights Report. |
| Regalis Capital | ████████ Pro | A buy-side firm’s page for the Austin market, about 2024 transactions, with estimates based on aggregated listing data. One page, one market: a reference, not a national rate. |
| CheckTheWorth | ████████ Pro | A public estimator’s convention on monthly earnings. We apply it to gross ad revenue only, as an upper-bound cross-check. |
Readiness score (our heuristic). Flippa and Regalis both name the drivers; the weights are ours:
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Revenue diversification | 20% |
| Owner independence | 25% |
| Trailing-12-month revenue trend | 20% |
| Clean financial history | 15% |
| Sponsorship transferability | 10% |
| Content IP | 10% |
Diversification is computed: largest stream over 80% of revenue scores 0, 60 to 80% scores 50, under 60% scores 100. The other factors score 0, 50 or 100 from your answers. The score places you inside each range: in the Flippa set, 0 is the median, 50 the average and 100 the top quartile, linear in between; in the broker range, linear from its low to its high multiple. The output runs from the lower to the higher of the two positioned multiples.
Sponsorship rate calculator
Price = CPM × average views ÷ 1,000, with placement and extras applied on top. The benchmarks, their sources and dates, and exactly how they are combined are listed under Sources & method on the calculator page, and stored in one data file. Main sources: ThoughtLeaders (booked YouTube integrations), SponsorRadar (YouTube niche ranges), Kolect (agreed TikTok, Instagram and YouTube fees), Libsyn Ads (podcasts) and beehiiv (newsletters).
Offer checker
The full verdict is a Pro feature. It uses the 9 records with a public contingent component. Contingent share = maximum contingent payment / maximum headline price. Risk-adjusted value discounts the note (paid at maturity) and the earn-out (equal annual installments) at your rate, and weights the earn-out by your probability. The flags use desk rules of thumb, labeled as such on the page.
Limits
- The valuation benchmarks come mostly from small and mid-sized channel sales. Larger creator companies are usually priced on EBITDA, growth and strategic fit, and most of their prices are not public.
- Tool inputs are yours and unverified. A buyer will check them against platform data, bank statements and contracts.
- Everything here is educational. None of it is an appraisal, a fairness opinion, or investment, tax or legal advice.