Archive · 11 Aug 2026
YouTube doubles watch-hour requirement for new creator monetisation
There is a website called YouTube where people make and share videos.
When videos become very popular, the people who make them can earn money from ads and memberships.
YouTube has introduced a new rule that makes it harder for new video makers to start earning.
New creators now need twice as many watch hours or Shorts views as before.
The new rule starts on February 1, 2027.
People who already earn money on YouTube can keep earning it.
Creators must also keep getting enough Shorts views every 90 days to keep earning from short videos.
YouTube is offering a cheaper membership plan, called Premium Lite, in more countries.
When people pay for memberships, creators get a share of the money, with 55% going to long videos and 45% to Shorts.
YouTube says the changes help the platform keep pace with its growth.
New creators need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to start earning from ads and subscriptions.
The new thresholds, which double previous requirements, take effect on February 1, 2027, and do not affect creators already in the YouTube Partner Programme.
Creators must hold 10 million Shorts views over a rolling 90-day period to keep earning Shorts revenue, which resumes once views cross that mark again.
YouTube is expanding its cheaper Premium Lite subscription to all countries where YouTube Premium is available, with 55% of creator subscription funds going to long-form creators and 45% to Shorts creators.
Rival platforms are also tightening rules: Elon Musk's X now rewards only original content, while Facebook launched a new monetisation programme aimed at TikTok and YouTube creators.
- Who
- YouTube, the Google-owned video platform, and the creators who make content on it.
- What
- YouTube is doubling the eligibility thresholds for new creators to join the YouTube Partner Programme and adding a Shorts revenue retention rule, marking the programme's first major revision since 2018.
- When
- February 1, 2027.
- Where
- On YouTube's platform, with Premium Lite expanding to all countries where YouTube Premium is available.
- Why
- YouTube says the changes keep pace with the platform's growth, which now sees over 200 billion daily Shorts views (one article says nearly 200 billion) and over a billion hours of daily watch time on TVs.
- New watch-hour requirement
- 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year
- New Shorts views requirement
- 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days
- Previous requirement
- 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours, or 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million Shorts views
- Effective date
- February 1, 2027
- Shorts revenue threshold
- 10 million Shorts views over a rolling 90-day period
- Existing Partner Programme members
- Not affected by the new thresholds
- Premium Lite creator split
- 55% to long-form creators, 45% to Shorts creators
- Premium Lite price in India
- 89 rupees per month versus 149 rupees for standard Premium
