YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start earning money
YouTube is significantly increasing the requirements for new creators to join its monetization program, doubling the necessary watch hours to 8,000. These changes aim to manage the platform's massive growth but may make it harder for smaller creators to earn revenue.
Why it matters
This shift reflects the evolving creator economy and the platform's strategy to prioritize high-engagement content over broader accessibility for new creators.
YouTube announced on Monday that new creators will have to meet higher thresholds to begin earning money from ads and subscriptions.
Creators who want to start earning on the platform will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Currently, creators need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past year or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over the past 90 days.
The change is going into effect starting February 1. The Google-owned company says the update won’t impact creators already in the YouTube Partner Program.
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