YouTube Is Making It Harder For Creators To Start Getting A Cut Of Ad Revenue

YouTube could soon become a less viable earning source for new content creators. The platform just announced updated rules for monetization via its YouTube Partner Program and, well, it’s not the best news. New content creators will need to show some impressive metrics in order to qualify for the partner program. Starting on February 1, users will need at least 1,000 subscribers and either 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

That’s a gigantic leap from the current requirements. Right now, those looking to enroll in the partner program need 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 watch hours in the past year or 10 million Shorts views in the past 90 days. So in a few months everything is doubling, aside from the subscriber count requirements.

Additionally, Shorts creators will have to maintain 10 million views every 90 days to earn money from the pool. Falling below this threshold won’t boot someone from the program entirely, but will turn off the cash spigot for that 90-day period.

Current partners will also face new rules next year. They must maintain either 1,000 watch hours each year or 1 million Shorts views. However, this can be avoided if creators amp up their release schedules, as posting two long-form videos or five Shorts every 90 days will keep them in good standing with the program. Finally, YouTube will remove creators from the program if they haven’t uploaded content for at least six months.

YouTube says this will all work out because it’s expanding the Premium Lite subscription to “all countries where we offer YouTube Premium.” This is a scaled-back version of the platform that lets people watch videos without ads, but doesn’t include the music-streaming service. The company says “with these additional subscribers, creators can expect higher earnings.” It also says that creators will have access to a better revenue pool for views obtained via Premium Lite subscribers.

However, we don’t actually know if the Premium Lite tier brings in enough new subscribers to offset these new requirements. YouTube doesn’t publicly disclose subscriber counts for each specific tier, though it has reported a combined total of 125 million paid users for both tiers across the globe. YouTube on its own, without any subscriptions, lures in nearly 2.7 billion users each month.

The platform has been making big changes lately, in an attempt to compete with actual streamers like Netflix and HBO Max. YouTube has signed deals for exclusive broadcasting rights to shows from people like Trevor Noah. It also now lets creators organize content into “seasons.”