YouTube has announced a significant overhaul of the eligibility requirements for its Partner Program (YPP), the platform’s primary revenue sharing scheme for creators, alongside new ways for creators to earn from Shorts. The changes, announced on Monday, August 10, will make it harder for creators to join the revenue share program but will also offer expanded revenue opportunities that could help creators earn more.
Currently, channel performance requirements for ad revenue share through YPP stand at 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. As of February 1, 2027, YouTube is raising the watch time requirement to 8,000 watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube VP of Creator Product Amjad Hanif said higher watch time will translate into higher payouts, adding that the goal is to ensure creators earn meaningful income rather than “a few cents for that month.”
Creators already enrolled in YPP will keep their eligibility even if they fall short of the new thresholds; only new channels will need to meet the updated bar from February 2027 onward. Requirements for fan funding features such as Super Chat and channel memberships remain unchanged, still set at 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours, or 3 million views in the last 90 days.
YouTube said the update is driven largely by Shorts, which now generates more than 200 billion daily views, and the company wants the higher thresholds to push more creators toward building a Shorts presence. To offset the stricter entry bar, the platform is also introducing new earning avenues for short form content. When an advertiser targets five or fewer channels with a Shorts ad campaign, creators will earn 45% of that ad’s revenue on top of their regular earnings from the Shorts Creator Pool. Shorts creators will also gain access to new bonus programs tied to YouTube Shopping, brand deal incentives, and earnings boosts linked to cultural trend activations, with further details expected soon.
The changes extend beyond Shorts as well. YouTube is separately expanding its ad-light Premium Lite subscription to every country where Premium is available, a move it says should raise per-creator earnings since Premium viewers generate more revenue on average than ad supported ones. Industry observers note the shift signals that the entry path for emerging creators is moving away from programmatic ad revenue and toward commerce and brand partnerships.
YouTube said it has paid over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years.
