Content creator and Twitch streamer Viktor “iBlali” or “VIK” Roth has been active as a content creator in the German scene since 2006. In the podcast Henke’s Corner, he talked about that time period and how his channel almost got deleted.
Who is it about? Viktor Roth was one of the first to upload Let’s Plays on the platform with his YouTube channel “Aligator1024” in 2006. During this time, he also operated a second channel named “iBlali,” where he had the very popular format AliTells.
Here he answered questions and comments from his community. In other formats, he presented myths or glitches from various video games.
Nowadays, Viktor Roth does not operate all of these YouTube channels anymore but has renamed his channel “BlaVlog” to “VIK” and treats it as his main channel. VIK streams gaming or reactions on Twitch from time to time.
In his current videos, VIK deals with societal and internet topics. Gaming videos still find their place on his channel.
VIK has been part of the German creator scene for almost 20 years and is still relevant. On his YouTube channel “VIK,” he entertains over 1 million subscribers, and almost 500,000 people follow him on Twitch (sources: YouTube and Twitch).
YouTuber VIK feared for his channel at night
Why was Vik almost banned? At the time, VIK was still part of the YouTube network Mediakraft with other creators. The agency supported the YouTuber in his work as a content creator and also helped him in a particular situation.
Mediakraft supported creators in the production and marketing of their videos. The goal was to help YouTube channels grow and to provide them with advice and assistance.
In the 2010s, many German YouTubers were at Mediakraft. In addition to VIK, Y-Titty and ApeCrime were also part of the agency.
Mediakraft was dissolved in 2021. The departure of several prominent creators and criticism of support and contract conditions likely contributed to the network’s crisis.
VIK recounts that he received 12 strikes in one day. To explain: After 3 strikes on a YouTube channel, it is permanently deleted, which would have meant the deletion of VIK’s livelihood at that time.
The reason for the strikes was his intro. A viewer had created an intro for him that contained unlicensed music. VIK used that intro in 12 videos, which were all struck by YouTube at once.
Then VIK tried to reach Christoph Krachten as quickly as possible in the middle of the night:
Then I tried to reach Christoph Krachten at three in the morning, because at that time I was still with Mediakraft. I couldn’t reach him, didn’t sleep. He called me back at eight in the morning and said: “We’ll sort this out.” Luckily, he did. That was the great thing about being in a YouTube network back then. Otherwise, the channel would have just been gone.
– VIK via YouTube from minute 44:19
What else does VIK say? VIK had his “main time” as a YouTuber in the 2010s. At that time, VIK says, the German YouTube still consisted of “nerds.” There was more room for creativity.
Nowadays, says the YouTuber, everything is much more professional, which naturally allows for more opportunities, but VIK also feels that authenticity has been lost. Some influencers only care about the money, he says.
It has become much quieter around him, says VIK, which he also enjoys. The content creator already has possible future plans. If he is no longer in demand, he would like to work as an editor for an influencer.
iBlali, or Vik, was one of the first on YouTube, just like YouTuber and Twitch streamer Erik “Gronkh” Range. He also talked in a podcast about that time and explained where his name comes from: Gronkh worked as a ‘dumb rock troll’ in a company before his success on Twitch, explaining where the name comes from
