YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing platform owned by Google, announced sweeping changes to its creator monetization rules, doubling the entry bar for channels looking to earn ad revenue.
Beginning Feb. 1, 2027, upcoming creators will need to clock 8,000 watch hours over 12 months or secure 20 million views on YouTube Shorts within 90 days to join the YouTube Partner Program, the official revenue-sharing system between video creators and the platform.
YouTube said the policy update aims to increase overall payouts for dedicated channels by ensuring that participating creators generate meaningful monthly earnings rather than nominal sums.
Under the updated terms, the platform will double its long-standing criteria of 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views required for advertisement revenue eligibility.
The subscriber benchmark will remain unchanged at 1,000 subscribers for primary ad revenue access.
YouTube clarified that current monetized creators will be grandfathered into the system and will not lose their monetisation privileges even if their total watch time drops below the new threshold.
The entry requirements governing fan funding features, including Super Chats, paid channel memberships, and direct viewer contributions, will also remain unchanged at 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours.
The policy shift arrives as YouTube continues to ramp up its investments in short-form content, which currently registers more than 200 billion daily views globally.
To incentivize top short-form creators, YouTube is rolling out dedicated revenue streams designed specifically for high performing channels.
Among the updates is a targeted ad share model for Shorts campaigns, where brands can focus spending on five or fewer selected channels.
Qualifying channels will earn a 45% share of those direct ad placements on top of their regular earnings from the general creator pool.
YouTube is also planning expanded shopping affiliate incentives, brand sponsorship bonuses, and earnings boosts tied to trending cultural events.
To broaden revenue options for long-form channels, the streaming platform is expanding its lower-cost subscription offering, YouTube Premium Lite, across all global markets where YouTube Premium is available.
Payouts from YouTube Premium Lite memberships will feed into a shared creator fund that redistributes earnings based on total channel watch time.
YouTube has distributed over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years.
