“The five-person team will operate independently, maintaining its YouTube channel with 1.5 million subscribers and Patreon support generating approximately $200,000 annually.”
Digital Foundry is leaving IGN. Founder Richard Leadbetter bought the outlet back. Five people, 1.5 million subscribers, and $200K in Patreon revenue. That is a sustainable model. The best outcome for niche technical journalism might be small teams who own their work instead of getting absorbed by media conglomerates.