YouTube: Big blow to YouTubers! Now you'll have to double your watch time and views to earn money...

YouTube Monetization New Rules: News has emerged that deals a major blow to YouTube creators. YouTube has significantly altered the revenue-sharing rules—covering earnings from advertisements and YouTube Premium—within its YouTube Partner Program (YPP). This decision comes as a severe shock to new creators aspiring to earn money by producing content, such as videos and Shorts.

Under these new rules, effective February 1, 2027, the eligibility criteria have effectively been doubled. Let us break down the details of these changes and examine how they will impact small and new creators.

What are the new rules for new creators?

According to YouTube's new regulations, starting February 1, 2027, any new creator wishing to apply for monetization (revenue from ads and YouTube Premium) must meet one of the following two conditions:

Long-form videos: 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past 365 days. Previously, this threshold was 4,000 watch hours.

YouTube Shorts: 20 million (2 crore) qualified Shorts views over the past 90 days. Previously, this threshold was 10 million (1 crore) views.

YouTube has clarified that this is the most significant change made to the YPP since 2018. However, these rules apply only to new creators; those already part of the YPP will not be affected by this new entry threshold.

What happens if you fail to meet the target? Creators who are unable to meet this higher threshold for ad-based monetization need not be disappointed, as YouTube has kept other avenues open:

Fan funding and shopping remain unchanged: Monetization criteria for features like 'Super Chat', 'Super Thanks', 'Channel Memberships', and 'YouTube Shopping' will remain the same; there has been no increase in the requirements for these.

Rules for existing Shorts creators: Creators already earning from Shorts must maintain 10 million views over the last 90 days to continue receiving a share of ad revenue.

Channels will not be removed from YPP: If a creator's view count drops below 10 million, their channel will not be removed from the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Once they cross the 10-million-view mark again, Shorts revenue sharing will automatically resume.

Why did YouTube take this strict decision?

In its official blog, YouTube attributed this tough decision to the platform's unprecedented growth. YouTube now generates over 200 billion daily Shorts views, and more than 1 billion hours of content are watched on TV screens every day. Currently, there are already over 3 million active creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

YouTube states that it aims to create a system that better rewards the most active and high-quality creators. The company expects to pay creators more in 2027 compared to 2026.

New earning opportunities beyond ads

YouTube wants creators to avoid relying solely on ad revenue. Therefore, it is introducing new incentive programs for channels with fewer than 10 million Shorts views:

Shopping bonuses: Additional bonuses for selling products via YouTube Shopping. Brand Deals and Trends Incentives: A special earnings boost for creators who engage in brand collaborations and initiate new trends.

Premium Lite: YouTube is rolling out its 'Premium Lite' plan across all countries. 60% of the net subscription revenue generated from Premium Lite will be allocated to a creator pool. From this pool, long-form video creators will receive a 55% revenue share, while Shorts creators will receive 45%.

Concerns Among Creators on Social Media

Following this announcement by YouTube, creators have expressed concerns on the social media platform X. Smaller creators believe that this decision will make it significantly harder for new content creators to turn YouTube into a source of income, noting that achieving 8,000 hours of watch time without any initial earnings will prove to be an extremely challenging task.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Money Control. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.