YouTube is set to tighten eligibility requirements for its Partner Program, making it more difficult for creators to earn money from videos on the platform.
The YouTube Partner Program allows eligible creators to generate revenue through advertisements, channel memberships, Super Chat and merchandise. To access these monetization features, creators must meet certain eligibility requirements.
Under the new rules, creators seeking to monetize long-form videos will need at least 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 hours of watch time over the previous 12 months, compared with the current requirement of 4,000 hours.
The threshold for Shorts creators will also increase. Creators will need their Shorts to receive more than 20 million views within 90 days, up from the current requirement of 10 million views.
The changes will take effect on Feb. 1, 2027. Google said creators who are already part of the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected by the new requirements.
YouTube also said creators will need to maintain at least 10 million Shorts views over a 90-day period to continue earning from Shorts in the future. Those who fall below the threshold will remain eligible to earn from long-form videos but will have to regain the required Shorts views to resume Shorts monetization.
The company said the changes are aimed at keeping pace with YouTube’s continued growth. Shorts are now watched more than 200 billion times a day, while viewers watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content on television screens every day.
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The tighter requirements are expected to make it more challenging for new creators to enter the Partner Program, particularly those who rely heavily on Shorts content.
