YouTube Doubles The Monetization Bar For New Creators

YouTube is tightening the path to monetization for new creators, raising the audience thresholds required to join the core revenue sharing side of the YouTube Partner Program.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2027, new creators applying for ads and Premium revenue sharing will need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube said the update will not affect creators already in the Partner Program, and the company said thresholds for Fan Funding and shopping products will remain unchanged.

The new numbers double the current eligibility benchmarks listed in YouTube’s help documentation, which require 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last year or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days for full YPP eligibility.

YouTube framed the change as part of a broader update to keep the Partner Program aligned with the scale of the creator economy. The company said YPP now includes more than 3 million creators and pointed to more than 200 billion daily Shorts views and more than a billion hours of YouTube watch time on TV each day.

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The practical consequence is that new creators will need a more sustained audience before reaching the platform’s main revenue sharing tier. That could delay earnings for smaller channels, especially those close to the old watch hour or Shorts view requirements.

Reaction has been mixed. Business Insider reported that creator Austen Tosone said the changes could make monetization tougher for small creators. In r/PartneredYoutube, some users described the new thresholds as discouraging for new channels, while others argued the higher bar could reduce low quality Shorts farming and reposted content.

The next deadline is Jan. 31, 2027, when existing creators must accept the new terms to keep earning under the updated program.

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YouTube Raises Monetization Requirements as…