The annoying pre-roll ads which you see before the actual videos start usually pay around $5 while the ads that overlay videos after the 10 second mark pay about $0.80.
Some YouTube channels earn a CPM of as much as $25, but YouTube takes 45% of that leaving the other 55% for the channel partner.
If you are a smaller YouTuber, sometimes it could take months just to earn $100, but when you multiply the CPM rate by the views of some of the top tier channels
, these guys end up in the millions by the end of the year.
Here are the top 40[20] channel partner earnings for the year 2012
#20: TheWillyRex $2 million (1b views)
#19: Tobuscus $2 million (940m views)
#18: TheFineBros $2.2 million (1.4b views)
#17: AdamThomasMoran $2.2 million (614m views)
#16: SkyDoesMinecraft $2.3 million (1.7b views)
#15: BoyceAvenue $2.3 million (1.2b views)
#14: Nigahiga $2.3 million (1.7b views)
#13: ERB $2.4 million (893m views)
#12: CaptainSparklez $3.2 million (1.3b views)
#11: CollegeHumor $3.3 million (2.3b views)
#10: RealAnnoyingOrange $3.4 million (1.9b views)
#9: UberHaxorNova $3.5 million (1.1b views)
#8: RayWilliamJohnson $4 million (2.6b views)
#7: TobyGames $4.2 million (1.6b views)
#6: JennaMarbles $4.3 million (1.4b views)
#5: BluCollection $4.8 million (1.4b views)
#4: DisneyCollectorBR $5 million (1.6b views)
#3: Smosh $5.7 million (3.1b views)
#2: BlueXephos $6.7 million (2.4b views)
#1: Pewdiepie $7 million (3.7b views)
Source