That is absolutely disgusting, and may actually threaten any niche channel which is not mainstream enough to generate a significant amount of clicks, but which

That is absolutely disgusting, and may actually threaten any niche channel which is not mainstream enough to generate a significant amount of clicks, but which so far has been able to keep alive using Patreon and other donations. That was my favorite thing about YouTube: Unlike Cable TV, not all content was converging towards the lowest common denominator, because creators of e.g. advanced science and engineering topics could keep afloat with the dedicated support of a small community. At least (I hope) creators can still mention their Patreon in their videos.