Google’s video-sharing giant YouTube has announced a major update to its Partner Program (YPP) eligibility criteria, doubling the required thresholds for creators seeking ad and subscription revenue sharing.
Under the new terms set to take effect on February 1, 2027, aspiring creators will need 8,000 qualified watch hours on long-form videos within 365 days (up from 4,000 hours) or 20 million views on YouTube Shorts within 90 days (up from 10 million views) to qualify for full monetization. The 1,000-subscriber baseline requirement remains unchanged. Existing partners will not lose their status due to the entry-level hike, though all YPP channels will need to maintain a rolling threshold of 10 million Shorts views per 90 days to continue receiving Shorts ad revenue.
YouTube framed the policy update as a necessary measure to align with massive platform growth—where daily Shorts views exceed 200 billion and connected TV watch time tops 1 billion hours daily. The lower tier for Fan Funding and Shopping tools remains accessible at 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours.
Key Highlights of the Monetization Update:
- Long-Form Watch Time: Increased from 4,000 to 8,000 qualified public watch hours.
- Shorts View Threshold: Doubled from 10 million to 20 million views over 90 days.
- Effective Date: February 1, 2027 (Applies to new YPP applications).
- Shorts Maintenance Rule: Creators must maintain 10M rolling views in 90 days to retain Shorts revenue sharing.
📊 Fact-Sheet Summary
- Platform: YouTube (Google / Alphabet Inc.).
- Program: YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
- Subscriber Baseline: Unchanged at 1,000 Subscribers.
- Long-form Criteria: 8,000 Watch Hours / 365 Days.
- Shorts Criteria: 20 Million Views / 90 Days.
- Target Audience: New YouTube creators and digital publishers.
