Youtube signs exclusive deal with PewDiePie

PewDiePie has signed an exclusive live-streaming deal with YouTube. The move comes almost exactly one year after he announced that he was going to stream exclusively on DLive, a small blockchain-based live-streaming site.

He said returning to YouTube was a "natural fit" as he looked for new ways to connect with fans. "Live streaming is something I'm focusing a lot on in 2020 and beyond, so to be able to partner with YouTube and be at the forefront of new product features is special and exciting for the future," he said.

The deal comes three years after YouTube, owned by Google, ended a separate deal with the video maker over anti-Semitic posts.

The 30-year old Swedish vlogger began posting videos on YouTube in 2010. They showed him playing and commenting on videogames he played.

He has particular success with his comedic reaction to horror games. From there he expanded out to videos on a wide range of topics including interactions with other YouTubers and his followers.

Controversial comments

As PewDiePie's popularity has grown so has the controversy surrounding him.

In 2017, PewDiePie posted a series of videos that include Nazi imagery and anti-Semitic messages.

The posts caused him to lose deals with Disney Maker Studios and YouTube Red - the company's premium subscription platform. Being removed from YouTube Red meant he could still post videos to his YouTube channels but would earn less for adverting.

Later that year, he used the N-word during a live stream and praised a white-supremacist in a separate video. PewDiePie apologized for both incidents.

During an award speech in 2019, he pledged to give $50,000 (£40,177) to the Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights anti-Semitism and hate speech. But he later rescinded that promise saying he would instead donate to a charity he was "personally passionate about".

In a statement Google, YouTube's parent company, said PewDiePie's previous comments were "not in line with our values".

"Were he to violate our policies today, we'd take action accordingly just as we would with any other creator," a company spokesperson said.