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YouTube channel mints $1 million with just one video in 9 years—of a fireplace burning for 10 hours

The channel, titled Fireplace 10 hours, uploaded the video nine years ago and has not uploaded any video since.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 7, 2026 07:47 PM IST

The YouTube channel boasts over 111,000 subscribers and more than 150 million views (Image source: YouTube)

Social media platforms have long evolved into a lucrative ecosystem for creators, especially YouTube. While it began as a platform dominated by long-form videos, new features like Shorts have helped a new wave of AI-driven creators make millions.

Nearly a decade ago, a YouTube channel managed to earn close to $1 million in revenue with just a single upload, a 10-hour-long looping video of a fireplace.

The channel, titled Fireplace 10 hours, uploaded the video nine years ago and has not uploaded any video since. Despite that, it boasts over 111,000 subscribers and more than 150 million views. The video features a continuous loop of burning logs accompanied by a crackling sound effect. It gained massive popularity during the winter months, particularly around Christmas, and became a go-to ambient backdrop. Tattoo parlours, studios, cafés, and restaurants frequently played the video on loop to set a cosy mood.

According to estimates by SocialBlade, the channel has generated approximately $1.2 million in ad revenue over nine years, averaging nearly $140,000 annually. With hundreds of dollars in estimated daily earnings at its peak, the video continues to resurface every winter. Its enduring appeal lies in its calming visuals, nostalgic warmth, and extended duration, which allows viewers to leave it running in the background, steadily increasing ad impressions over time.

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The success of the fireplace format inspired a wave of similar content, including looping videos of rain, ocean waves, and later, music-based ambient streams such as ‘Lofi Girl’.

Meanwhile, AI-generated content, also known as AI slop, has emerged as one of the most widely consumed formats on the platform in India. A YouTube channel, Bandar Apna Dost, earned over $4.25 million in a year. The channel has amassed 2.8 million subscribers, uploaded 618 videos, and crossed more than 2 billion views.