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PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is known for
his humorous, raw commentary on video games. He has almost 50
million subscribers on YouTube, more than both Justin Bieber or
Rihanna.
Time magazine named the 26-year-old Swede, who is based in
Brighton, England, as one of the world's 100 most influential
people.
He was among those named by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) this year as one receiving payments for posting positive
videos and reviews of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Inc's game
"Middle East: Shadow of Mordor".
Warner Bros settled with the FTC after it was accused of failing
to adequately disclose thousands of dollars in payments. It
agreed to disclose such payments in future.
Kjellberg, who was not charged with any wrongdoing by the FTC,
defended himself and his actions. He noted that he had disclosed
that the original video was sponsored, though in text on the
YouTube website as opposed to in the video itself.
His company, Pewdie Productions AB reported a 12 percent rise in
pre-tax profits for 2015 while revenue rose 18 percent to 75
million crowns ($8.6 million).
($1 = 8.6690 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Mia Shanley; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and
Elaine Hardcastle)
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