YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start earning money

Creators who want to start earning on the platform will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

techcrunch.com ·1h ago

YouTube is implementing stricter requirements for creators to monetize their content, doubling the watch hours needed to begin earning. New creators will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to qualify. Currently, creators require 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views to enter the YouTube Partner Program.

The change takes effect on February 1 and does not affect existing program members. YouTube also announced creators must maintain 10 million Shorts views over 90 days to earn revenue from the Shorts Creators Pool. Channels failing to meet these thresholds will stay in the partner program, earning from long-form content and potentially resume Shorts revenue upon reaching the new view count.

The platform's surge in daily Shorts views and watch time prompted these updates, making it more challenging for creators to enter and maintain monetization, potentially discouraging new entries. YouTube is also rolling out an expanded Premium Lite subscription globally, offering an ad-free experience, offline viewing, and background playback.

Creators will share in subscription revenue, with 55% for long-form creators and 45% for Shorts creators. The move comes as other platforms, like Elon Musk's X and Facebook, also adjust their creator monetization strategies.

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