YouTube Tightens its Monetization Rules

The video streaming giant has increased its requirements for creators to earn money from ads and subscriptions, aiming to keep pace with its exponential growth.

YouTube announced on Monday that new creators will need to meet higher thresholds to begin earning money from ads and subscriptions. As of February 1, the new requirements for creators include at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Currently, creators need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past year or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over the past 90 days.

The change affects creators who want to start earning on the platform, with existing members in the YouTube Partner Program exempt from the update. Additionally, creators will need to maintain 10 million Shorts views over a 90-day period to earn money through the Shorts Creators Pool.

"We're introducing these changes to keep pace with the growth of YouTube, which now sees over 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion hours of watch time on TV every day," the company stated.

This move is expected to make it harder for creators to enter and remain in YouTube's monetization program, especially for Shorts creators. By increasing thresholds, YouTube is putting more pressure on creators' ability to consistently bring in large audiences before being able to earn money on the platform. This could lead to fewer new entrants being able to monetize their content.

• To offset this, YouTube is expanding its more affordable Premium Lite subscription to all countries where YouTube Premium is available. This will provide creators with a new way to earn revenue through subscription-based models.

• With Premium Lite, creators can expect higher earnings, as the company noted that partners earn more from subscription revenue than from ad revenue.

This move is part of a larger trend in social media companies revising their creator rewards programs. Elon Musk's X has also revamped its guidelines to only reward original content, while Facebook launched a new monetization program to attract creators from TikTok and YouTube.

As the video streaming landscape continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how these changes will impact creators and the platforms they use to reach their audiences.