The world’s most-watched YouTube video may be an internet phenomenon, but it hasn’t brought massive wealth to its creator.
Nearly nine years after its release, the wildly viral children’s song “Baby Shark Dance” — uploaded by South Korea’s Pinkfong in 2016 — has accumulated more than 16.4 billion views, making it the most-viewed video in YouTube’s history. Despite this astronomical audience, the company behind the hit has reported surprisingly modest financial gains.
According to financial disclosures, Pinkfong’s parent company generated just US$67 million in revenue in 2024, with an operating profit of about US$13 million across all business operations. Analysts say these returns are far lower than what would normally be expected from the world’s biggest YouTube hit.
Industry experts attribute the limited income to YouTube’s strict monetization rules for children’s content. In 2020, the platform banned personalized ads, disabled comments, and restricted notifications for all “Made for Kids” videos — policies introduced following regulatory actions in the United States. These changes significantly reduced ad revenue opportunities for creators like Pinkfong, whose content is overwhelmingly child-focused.
Analysts estimate that without these restrictions, Pinkfong might have earned two to three times more from the viral video.
The company is now preparing for a public listing on South Korea’s Kosdaq exchange, targeting a valuation of around US$375 million. As part of its growth strategy, Pinkfong plans to invest nearly US$50 million from its anticipated IPO proceeds into developing new franchises and at least three major content titles by 2028, in hopes of building another global hit.
Despite not making its creators extraordinarily rich, “Baby Shark” remains a cultural and commercial force — from toys and TV shows to concerts and merchandising — proving that viral fame does not always translate into proportional financial reward.
Source: The Wall Street Journal.
