New applicants to the YouTube Partner Program will need to meet either '8,000 hours of video watch time in the past year' or '20 million short video views in the past 90 days.'
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which boasts over 3 million participating creators, is undergoing its first major changes since 2018 to better reward active creators.
New opportunities to earn and changes to the YouTube Partner Program - YouTube Blog
According to YouTube, the main changes are as follows:
1: Expansion of the 'YouTube Premium Light' service offerings.
A lower-priced service, 'YouTube Premium Light,' will be offered in all countries that currently offer the paid subscription service, YouTube Premium. 'YouTube Premium Light'will be undergoing testing from March 2025, with features such as background video playback added in February 2026.
YouTube's affordable ad-free plan, 'YouTube Premium Lite,' now allows background playback and temporary saving of videos - GIGAZINE
Creators participating in YPP can earn revenue from revenue pools separated by subscription type. For 'YouTube Premium,' 30% of net subscription revenue is distributed to creators, while for 'YouTube Premium Light,' 60% is distributed.
The expansion of YouTube Premium Light's offerings will lead to an increase in new subscribers, allowing creators to expect higher earnings.
2: Changes to the revenue sharing method for 'YouTube Shorts'
To recognize creators who foster active dialogue and engagement on YouTube, starting February 1, 2027, creators whose eligible short videos have reached 10 million views in the past 90 days will be eligible for revenue sharing from YouTube Shorts ads and channel subscriptions. Creators who are already earning a significant amount of revenue from YouTube Shorts will not be affected.
Channels that do not meet the criteria will continue to earn revenue from their long-form content, and revenue sharing for short-form videos will resume once the number of views for the eligible videos exceeds 10 million.
According to YouTube, they plan to introduce a new incentive program that will expand revenue opportunities by evaluating creator growth and engagement, rather than relying solely on advertising revenue. Channels with fewer than 10 million views that do not meet the criteria will be offered new ways to earn revenue once certain conditions are met, such as bonuses for YouTube Shopping, incentives for brand partnerships, and increased revenue from creating and expanding trends. The details are expected to be announced soon.
3: Changes to the eligibility criteria for YPP ads and YouTube Premium
With short videos exceeding 200 billion views per day and television viewing time exceeding 1 billion hours per day, YouTube has experienced tremendous growth. As a result, the participation requirements for the Young Professionals Programme (YPP) have been changed. New applicants must now meet either of the following criteria: '8,000 hours of video viewing time in the past 365 days' or '20 million views of short videos in the past 90 days.'
The new YPP terms of service will be effective from February 1, 2027.
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in Video, Web Service, Posted by logc_nt