YouTube tightens monetization rules for creators

YouTube, the world’s most popular video-sharing platform provides additional income opportunities to millions of people around the world. Yes, YouTube has become an attractive platform for people who want to earn money through videos.

Billions of people use the video-sharing platform making it an excellent place for creative individuals to showcase their skills. Anyone can earn money from YouTube by becoming part of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).

However, earning money from YouTube will now become more difficult for many people as the company has tightened its requirements.

YouTube monetization allows users to earn money through advertisements, channel memberships, Super Chat and merchandise. To unlock these features, users need to become part of the YouTube Partner Program.

For this, certain requirements must be met and these requirements have now been made stricter.

Previously, users needed at least 1,000 subscribers on their channel and more than 4,000 hours of watch time on their long-form videos over the previous 12 months to earn money from the platform. However, this requirement has now been doubled.

Under the new requirements, users will need at least 8,000 hours of video watch time within one year to qualify for the Partner Program and earn money. Alternatively, they will need their YouTube Shorts videos to receive more than 20 million views within the previous 90 days.

Previously, the requirement for earning through Shorts was 10 million views. The new changes will take effect from February 1, 2027. Google has clarified that users who are already part of the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected by this update.

YouTube also stated that, in the future, users will need to maintain 10 million Shorts views within a 90-day period to continue earning from Shorts.

If they fail to meet this requirement, they will remain part of the Partner Program and will still be able to earn money from long-form videos. However, they will only be able to earn from Shorts again after reaching 10 million views once more.

According to the company, these changes are being introduced to keep pace with YouTube’s continued growth. More than 200 billion Shorts are now viewed on YouTube every day, while users watch the equivalent of one billion hours of video content on television screens alone.

However, these changes will make it more difficult for users to join the YouTube Partner Program and maintain their eligibility particularly those who primarily create and post Shorts videos.