Influencer Andrew Tate gained many of his millions of followers by telling them he’s rich – and he’ll make them rich too.
The self-proclaimed misogynist has gone from posing on yachts and filming himself jetting off to Dubai, to being arrested in December over allegations of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.
Symbols of Tate’s apparent wealth, including luxury cars and properties, have been seized by the Romanian police who are investigating Tate, 36, and his brother and business partner, Tristan, 34.
So, with Tate’s assets under the microscope, what is known about how much money his business actually makes?
Speculation about his wealth varies wildly and many of the claims Tate makes about his earnings are unverified, including six-figure sums connected to his “camgirl” business.
It is not known whether this business is connected to the charges facing the brothers and two Romanian women, all of whom deny the claims made against them.
Using publicly available information, Sky News has looked at how much his company might be making through video streaming, as well as selling subscriptions and merchandise.
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Banned from Twitter in 2017 (but since reinstated in November 2022), Tate was also removed from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in August 2022 for breaching their terms and conditions. But he had already built up millions of followers on each platform.
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His army of fans followed him toanti-“cancel culture” streaming platform Rumble, where Tate’s associates continue to post clips while he is in prison. Rumble’s emphasis on “free speech” has made it popular among right-wing commenters.
Tate claims he signed a $9m (£7.3m) deal with Rumble in 2022, according to CNN. Rumble did not reply to Sky News’ request for comment, but issued a statement to CNN calling for the charges against Tate to be “investigated promptly and thoroughly”.
Sky News has collated Tate’s video streams from his two Rumble channels, TateSpeech and TateConfidential. The former saw higher video views more consistently after he was blocked by other social media sites.
Although TateConfidential is less successful, the two channels collectively mean Tate has amassed huge viewing figures.
Rumble advertises itself as offering some of the most generous amounts paid out per video view, saying that “1,000 views on Rumble.com may earn you as much as 10,000 views on YouTube”.
Sara McCorquodale, chief executive and founder of influencer intelligence CORQ, explains that how much social platforms usually pay out tends to be “a bit of a grey area”.
“[On Rumble] it could be anything from $0.30 to $20 or $50 per 1,000 views,” she said.
“Andrew Tate could be making anything from $600 (£490) to $20,000 (£16,250) for his most prolific videos.”
By this estimate, Tate’s most popular video “EMERGENCY MEETING 1 – THE MATRIX ATTACKS”, which was broadcast five months ago in the days after he was banned from other social platforms could have earned him up to $133,500 (£108,400) after hitting 2.67m views.
As well as earning money through adverts, Rumble gives creators a bonus if their video is hosted on the site’s front page.
Mrs McCorquodale explained that Tate’s potential earnings on Rumble show just how large his following is, despite the influencer not having access to most mainstream social media sites.
She said: “It shows the numbers of views we are seeing on Andrew’s channels are all coming from his audience.
“This is quite worrying because it shows the scale at which he has attracted people to his narrative.
“Andrew Tate is very much aiming his content at young men… He tries to be aspirational, but then he also tries to connect with young men by seemingly understanding the challenges they face in society today.”
Manosphere merchandise
With Tate banned from most social media, his fans flock to his website – including to buy merchandise to support him.
Activity on his merchandise page has been saved by the Internet Archive project, a digital library of websites. Its records can not be edited or altered.
Using it, we can see how many items were advertised as for sale, at what price and on what date they were listed as having sold out by.
A screenshot of Tate’s online merchandise store on 22 October shows that a T-shirt named “Resist the Slave Mind” was on sale.
It shows Andrew Tate dressed like a character from the 1999 film The Matrix while holding a red pill. The red pill, a motif from the movie, is popular symbol in what is known as the “manosphere”, a loosely connected groups of online misogynists.
The now sold-out shirts were on sale for $100 (£81) each with 1,000 in stock.
This means the T-shirts would have brought in $100,000 (£81,000) of revenue. This is the overall figure earned and would not include any outgoings or division of profit.
These calculations are being made based on figures provided by Tate’s website.
These figures may be unreliable, with Sky News discovering that at least one claim on the site is wrong.
Tate’s website claims the Resist the Slave Mind T-shirt sold out in the specific timeframe of 25hrs 19m and 43 seconds.
However, archived pages show the T-shirt on sale on 22 October, was still on sale on 5 November and was listed as sold out by 7pm the following day.
This means the T-shirt was on sale for more than two weeks, rather than just over a day.
Other sales on his site recorded by the archive include another T-shirt named “Vision”. It was put on sale for $100 (£81) per shirt with 651 listed as available, earning a potential $65,100 (£52,700).
A hoodie, “Cobra”, was on sale for $150 (£120) but the internet archive did not record how many units were available.
A pair of mugs were on sale for $139 (£113) with 888 on offer, potentially generating $123,400 (£100,000).
This means, since the end of October, $265,100 (£215,000) may have been generated through merchandise alone – not including the $150 hoodies, of which we don’t have a verifiable stock figure for.
Tate also sells supplements on his website, priced at $54.99 (£44.50).
We don’t have stock figures to access through the archive, but data provided to Sky News from website analytics company SimilarWeb can give us an insight.
They estimate that the number of hits on the checkout page for supplements in November was around 6,500 and in December around 3,100. While a person visiting the checkout page does not guarantee a sale is made, it does give a sense of how many users are getting to that stage of the purchasing process.
Money-making memberships
Tate sells access to schemes that are advertised as teaching people how to make money online through sessions on skills such as copywriting and crypto-trading.
This is “a classic influencer strategy” that Andrew Tate has put his own spin on, says Mrs McCorquodale.
“The clever thing Andrew Tate has done is recognise that he is a divisive character. Many people may not want to be seen as a fan of him publicly but are buying his subscriptions and engaging privately.
“His subscriptions allow people to engage without risk of judgement. This is crucial.”
There are two levels of access. The first is “The Real World”, a new incarnation of the Hustler’s University, which was shut down last year.
Subscribers pay $49.99 (£40) a month for access to group chat rooms, tutorials and “millionaire mentors”. For those signing up early, an entry fee of $27 (£22) was payable, which later increased to $147 (£120).
The website claims over 200,000 people have transferred over from Hustler’s University or joined the scheme when it launched in November. This would bring in at least $9,998,000 (£8,089,140) a month in subscriptions if that figure is accurate.
However, Sky News has seen a Telegram group for The Real World where members of Hustler’s University were automatically added. It only has 126,255 subscribers.
The number of views each announcement in the group gets has dropped from around 230,000 at the start to around 45,000 in January.
Web traffic to the log in page for The Real World is also much lower than the membership figure would suggest.
Less than 100,000 hits were registered by VStat, another web traffic monitor, in January. The service is unable to give a more precise audience figure when views are this low.
Tate’s other subscription service is The War Room, where membership is significantly more expensive, at $5,454 (£4,400), which must be paid via cryptocurrency.
It is not possible to find a reliable independent figure which could indicate how many people are subscribed to The War Room.
Sky News contacted Tate’s lawyer for comment regarding the figures set out in this article but did not receive a response.
What can we learn from this snapshot of Tate’s earnings?
For Mrs McCorquodale, Sky News’ findings goes some of the way towards answering if these earnings tally with Tate’s displays of wealth.
“What’s clear is he has multiple revenue streams which all link back to him monetising his digital audience and mean he is less reliant on mainstream social media platforms,” she said.
“These let him continually push a message and amass more new customers but ultimately he is trying to get them off those platforms and onto his own [such as] his War Room subscription.”
The future of Tate’s earnings may well be hit by the police investigation, with Mrs McCorquodale highlighting the falling viewing figures on Rumble after his arrest.
She said: “Many people may like what he’s saying and think the controversy around him is overblown. But the minute there is a chance he might actually be a criminal, they’re out.
“Perhaps this has made consumers review more carefully who he is and his real impact beyond making people annoyed on Twitter.”
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
Detectives investigating human remains found wrapped in plastic at a Salford nature reserve believe children who were playing in the area days before the discovery could have crucial information.
The crime scene in Kersal Dale Wetlands has been lifted after a 12-day search involving more than 100 officers, an underwater search team and dogs.
Warning: This story contains details readers may find distressing
The “significant body part” found wrapped in clear plastic on Thursday 4 April was today confirmed by Greater Manchester Police to consist of the bottom part of the deceased’s back, buttocks and thigh.
Detectives are working to identify the victim, who they say was a man likely over the age of 40. It appears he was white, with no distinguishable marks on his body such as scars or tattoos, police added.
Officers think he had only been dead for a few days.
Police have launched a murder investigation and are appealing for witnesses, including dog walkers, who were in the area between 6am and 6pm on the day a passer-by made the grim discovery.
A trawl of footage from nearby CCTV cameras found children were playing in the area in the days leading up to the body part being found and officers believe they “could hold crucial information without even realising it”.
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Detective Chief Inspector Andy Naismith said: “Our focus from day one has remained on the victim’s family. They will be suffering the loss of a loved one, and we need to be able to give them answers so they can come to terms with their loss. Our work is far from over, this is just the beginning of a long and complex investigation.”
He added: “Although we haven’t found any more human remains in the area from our searches, we continue to work with an open mind whilst our murder investigation continues.”
The investigation cannot confirm the deceased’s nationality at this stage, the detective added.
He said: “My team have checked the victim’s DNA against the UK police database and although this does not bring up a match, there is extensive work ongoing, including trawls of various other databases, missing person records and medical records; it’s a big piece of work which will take time.”
The police also want to hear from members of the public who may have a missing family member, DCI Naismith said.
He added: “Right now, as well as wanting to speak to those who may have been in the area where the body part was found, we are also appealing to anyone who has a dad, brother, or son who they have not seen in over 12 days to come forward and speak to us.
“Our victim could be a family member, friend, co-worker or acquaintance and someone somewhere will have an idea of what has happened to him.”
Metallica frontman James Hetfield has shared details of his latest tattoo – featuring the ashes of the late Motorhead rocker Lemmy.
Hetfield posted a picture on Metallica‘s Instagram account, showing a new Aces Of Spades inking on his right middle finger in reference to Motorhead’s biggest hit.
The singer and guitarist told the band’s 11 million followers the tattoo is “a salute to my friend and inspiration Mr Lemmy Kilmister”, adding: “Without him, there would be NO Metallica.”
He went on to say: “Black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me. So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world.”
Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Kilmister, was the founder and frontman of British rock band Motorhead. Formed in the 1970s, the band went on to release more than 20 albums, with hits including Overkill, Iron Fist and Ace Of Spades.
He died in December 2015, just days after being diagnosed with cancer.
Hetfield formed American rock act Metallica with drummer Lars Ulrich in the early 1980s, and the band released their 11th album, 72 Seasons, last year.
They are best known for hits including Enter Sandman, Master Of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters and Until It Sleeps.
‘The most badass tribute’
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Hetfield has previously spoken about Motorhead’s influence on Metallica, and in 2022 called for Motorhead to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
“It’s just a nod, a tip of the cap. What does it really mean to be in there? I don’t know. But to some of these bands it might mean the world,” he said in a radio interview.
“With the passing of Lemmy, it’s really, really important for me to see Motorhead acknowledged in that – because there’s no more rock’n’roll person on this planet than Lemmy.”
Many fans commented on his tattoo photo, with one calling the inking “the most badass tribute possible”.
Another said: “RIP Lemmy. This is a wonderful gift!”
The Only Way Is Essex stars Joey Essex and James Argent have been forced to hitchhike after becoming stranded in Dubai floods sparked by record rainfall.
Essex, 33, said the pair had “decided to hitchhike after hours of trying to get back home” in an Instagram story posted on Tuesday evening.
In uploaded videos, the reality TV stars are seen standing and walking barefoot in ankle-deep water after what the state-run WAM news agency called a “historic weather event” in which more rain fell than in any other weather event since records began in 1949.
Argent, 36, – also known as Arg – is seen standing next to a flooded road with his hand stuck out in front of him, as Essex said: “Hitchhiking, we have no choice.”
Essex also uploaded a clip of him walking along the street pavement, part of which had seemingly collapsed, as a car tried to make its way across a flooded road.
The caption said: “After hours of looking for a taxi and hitchhiking on the streets of Dubai. We have now decided to take the next step… operation survival.”
In the next video Essex was seen holding his shoes as he walked along the streets barefoot, with the water around his ankles.
Footage of him crossing a flooded street was posted with a fitting song – Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet.
The pair were among UK passengers planning to travel via Dubai International Airport, whose flights were disrupted by standing water on taxiways at the world’s busiest hub for international travel.
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Emirates cancelled seven flights between the UAE and the UK, with British Airways diverting or axing four and passengers advised to stay away.
Many flights were delayed by several hours on Tuesday, including an Emirates flight which landed at Heathrow more than five hours late.
Heavy rainstorms hit the city late on Monday, dropping nearly 2.5cm (1in) of rain, according to meteorological data collected at the airport.
Conditions intensified from around 9am local time on Tuesday and by the end of the day more than 15cm (6ins) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over the course of 24 hours.
Cloud seeding
Many roads in the UAE lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, which is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months.
Earlier media reports linked the extreme weather to “cloud seeding”, in which small planes flown by the government go through clouds burning special salt flares, which can increase precipitation.
The UAE, which relies heavily on energy-hungry desalination plants to provide water, carries out cloud seeding in part to increase its dwindling, limited groundwater.
But Professor Maarten Ambaum, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, said there was “no technology in existence that can create or even severely modify this kind of rainfall event”.
“These storms appear to be the result of a mesoscale convective system – a series of medium-sized thunderstorms caused by massive thunderclouds, formed as heat draws moisture up into the atmosphere,” he said.
“These can create large amounts of rain, and when they occur over a wide area and one after another, can lead to seriously heavy downpours. They can rapidly lead to surface water floods, as we have seen in places such as Dubai airport.”
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He said “intense rainfall events” could be made more “more extreme due to climate change”, with a warmer atmosphere able to hold more water vapour.
Professor Ambaum added: “The UAE does have an operational cloud seeding programme to enhance the rainfall in this arid part of the world, however, there is no technology in existence that can create or even severely modify this kind of rainfall event.
“Furthermore, no cloud seeding operations have taken place in this area recently.”
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Schools across the UAE, which largely shut ahead of the storm, remained closed on Wednesday and the government ordered staff to continue working from home.
Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and separate heavy flooding has taken place in Oman in recent days.