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WHY THREE CHANNELS?

Time Travel TV puts out weekly vintage TV advert compilations. It started out in 2012 as the "RetroSteveUK" channel, focussing on retro gaming videos. Back in 2021 I uploaded a couple of advert compilations just for fun. I'd seen collections of adverts on YouTube and was frustrated by the inconsistency - horrendous sound quality & volume levels, washed out picture quality, VHS glitches all over the place, and always with massive black edges around the outside. I wanted to use this raw material and present something more watchable, fixing the sound & picture issues, combining ads into themed collections, and coming up with a nice "old telly" frame to cover the borders and glitches. These videos ended up going viral so I've felt obliged to continue providing them, however it was never the content I originally wanted to create, so in 2022 I launched a second channel, "RetroSpectives."

Time Travel TV is not monetised, because it re-uses adverts that are already out there on YouTube (albeit in various states of quality) which to be frank feels a little awkward, so if I've used any adverts from other channels, those channels get a featured spot on Time Travel TV's channel page. I'm able to churn out advert compilations in about 3 or 4 hours each week, which leaves enough time to focus on the more work-heavy RetroSpectives videos.

RetroSpectives is my main focus and it's where the small amount of revenue I earn comes from. It's technically my full-time job, although I'm working towards moving house at the moment so I've temporarily reduced my video work schedule to accommodate that. The income I receive from YouTube (combined with my wife's income) enabled me to go full-time back in June 2025. Together we earn just enough to get by on, and I've been registered with HMRC as a self-employed sole trader since then.

RetroSteveIRL was started in September 2025 and is somewhere I can upload occasional "In Real Life" videos. It's also used for sharing channel updates with Time Travel TV and RetroSpectives viewers, without interrupting those channels' schedules. I do have some other ideas formulating for the IRL channel which will be announce when the time is right, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this channel develops in the future.

WHY "BUY ME A COFFEE" ?

Viewers have occasionally asked if they can support the work I do on YouTube, so I set up this BMAC 'tip jar' as a way for them to say thanks with a small gesture. I also use this page as a place to fully disclose what I do on YouTube, how I do it, and why.

YOUTUBE ADVERTS & SPONSORSHIPS

I don't allow mid-roll adverts in my RetroSpectives videos, (YouTubers in the partner program are given the option to disable these.) As a viewer myself I find ad interruptions, sponsorships, and requests for money super-irritating, so that'll never happen in those videos. Time Travel TV and RetroSteveIRL however are NOT monetised, so you may still experience mid-video advert interruptions on those - it's a YouTube thing that I have no control over.

LONG-TERM PLANS

I'll continue making videos for as long as I'm practically able. My hope is that as subscriber numbers grow and the months and years roll by, the income will grow too, to the point where I can earn something resembling an independent, liveable income. With that in mind, the best way to support my work is to subscribe, comment, like and share, which will help drive new viewers and potential subscribers to the channel (RetroSpectives, specifically.)

WOT NO PATREON?

Nope, or at least not yet. I'm not in the business of asking for a subscription fee just so you can get your name in a video; that's something you can already get for free by submitting a comment for the "Featured Comments" sections in my videos. In essence, I have nothing to offer beyond what I'm already doing for free, so until I have something worthwhile to offer IN ADDITION to what I'm already providing, it's not going to happen.

HOW MUCH DOES A YOUTUBER EARN?

That's the big question isn't it? Basically, you can get a rough idea of how much a particular YouTuber might be earning (from ad revenue alone) by looking at subscriber numbers. Dividing sub numbers by ten gives a rough idea of what a YouTuber is likely to be making in a year, so 10,000 subscribers would equate to roughly £1,000 in a year. It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but based on available information about the incomes of a handful of bigger (1 million+ subs) and smaller (10-50 thousand subs) channels, this calculation does appear to tally.

Thank you for your support, whether that's financial or otherwise, and I look forward to seeing you in the comments!

.. RetroSteveUK

https://bio.link/retrosteveuk