YouTube is making it harder to earn money on YouTube
YouTube is significantly increasing the eligibility requirements for its Partner Program, requiring more watch hours or Shorts views starting in 2027. The platform is also expanding its Premium Lite subscription to compete more directly with traditional streaming services.
Why it matters
These changes impact the livelihood of digital creators and signal YouTube's strategic shift toward a premium, TV-like content model.
Starting February 1st, 2027, creators who want to monetize their channel through YouTube’s Partner Program (YPP) 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 sizeable jump from YouTube’s current requirement of 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 watch hours in the past year, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. Creators will also need to maintain 10 million Shorts views over 90 days to earn money from the Shorts Creators Pool, though falling below this threshold won’t result in removal from YPP.
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