For Reporters | Payments

Special Pay Opportunities

Stronger stories, higher pay.

Every accepted LiveTube stream earns a base payment plus a per-minute rate, and whatever the GO LIVE screen shows you is exactly what you get. There is no single fixed rate for everyone: it moves with your country and with what is happening in the world right now. For stronger stories and special events, the screen shows a higher Special Pay rate, a bigger base and a bigger per-minute rate for that news. You never chase views or an algorithm. You get paid for being there.

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Image: LiveTube GO LIVE screen showing a Special Pay example

How your pay is built

Part of your pay	What it is	Where you see it
Base payment	A one-time payment when the newsroom accepts your stream.	GO LIVE screen, before you start.
Per-minute rate	Paid for every minute you stay live.	GO LIVE screen, plus a live counter while you broadcast.
Special Pay	A higher base and per-minute rate for stronger stories, special events and big, in-demand news, shown on the GO LIVE screen.	GO LIVE screen when active, or a message from our producers.

One thing to be clear on: the rate on the GO LIVE screen is the rate you agree to, and once the newsroom accepts your stream, that agreed rate is what you are paid. There is no single fixed base or per-minute rate, it can differ by country and by what is happening right now, so any figure shown here is only an example. For special or in-demand news, the screen simply shows a higher rate for that story. Full details are in our Terms and Conditions.

When Special Pay kicks in

Big, in-demand news

Stories the world wants to see, and that media outlets want to license, pay more. The bigger and more global the news, the higher the pay.

We ask you directly

Sometimes a producer reaches out and invites you to go live on a developing story, at a higher rate than usual.

Right place, right time

A specific street, a district, a whole region or a country during a significant event. Pay can be tied to exactly where the news is.

How you hear about an opportunity

On the GO LIVE screen. Any Special Pay active for your exact location shows before you stream. Set location to Allow Always so we show only the opportunities that are genuinely near you.
Newsroom alerts. We can alert everyone with a Special Pay offer, or narrow it to a region, a street, or even specific reporters our producers can see on the live map around an event.
Email. For bigger events, or when we are looking for reporters in a particular place, we send opportunities by email. Turn on the newsletter so you never miss one.

Your pay can rise after you stream

We rarely know in advance how big a story will become, so we keep pay flexible. A stream may start at one rate, and if it grows into something major, our producers can increase your payout afterwards and reach out to you directly. If we ever change a rate, it is only to increase it. That later increase will not always appear live in the app, so keep an eye on your account and your email after a big broadcast.

Why we do not pay by views

LiveTube does not pay by viewer count. Audience numbers are not a reliable measure of what a story is worth, and our revenue comes mainly from licensing footage to media outlets rather than from how many people watch. That protects you: you earn for solid coverage even when a story draws little attention. And if a stream ever reaches hundreds of thousands of viewers and brings in advertising revenue, we will raise your payout to match.

How you get paid

You start earning only once the newsroom accepts your stream. Streams that are not selected are not paid. Once accepted, payouts are sent to your PayPal using the email on your LiveTube account, usually within a few days after a producer verifies your stream. You do not enter any payment details in the app. Full detail is on the Payments page.

Image: LiveTube app screen with an example of the current pay rates