Significant changes are coming for people who dream of earning money from creating video content. YouTube has announced an update to its Partner Program rules, which will take effect on February 1, 2027. Furthermore, the company has made serious adjustments to the view counting criteria, with this change beginning on August 24, 2026.
The most substantial changes will affect those planning to launch a new channel in the future and aiming to monetize content through advertising. It is no longer enough for new creators to simply reach 1000 subscribers; they will need to achieve a higher level of views or Shorts views.
Previously, to earn income from ads and premium content, creators needed 1000 subscribers, along with either 4000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. However, starting February 1, 2027, new applicants will require 1000 subscribers along with 8000 qualified watch hours or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. This means that long-form video creators will see their required watch hours double, and the target view count for Shorts creators will significantly increase.
It is important to note that these changes will not lead to the exclusion of creators already enrolled in the Partner Program. The new rules will apply exclusively to those who apply to join the program after February 1, 2027. Nevertheless, certain concessions remain for smaller creators: the entry rules for features such as funding, channel memberships, Super Chat, purchases, and others remain unchanged. The basic threshold for accessing these services is 500 subscribers and 3000 watch hours or 30 million Shorts views.
For those earning from Shorts, there is also a separate major shift. Starting February 1, 2027, a channel must maintain a level of 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn revenue from the Shorts creator pool for ads and premium content. If a channel falls below this level, it will not be removed from the Partner Program, but during this period, it will not receive a share of Shorts ad and premium content revenue. Revenue from long-form videos and other relevant features may continue to operate.
Interestingly, YouTube recently announced a change in the view counting method. Starting August 24, 2026, any video will be counted as a public view immediately upon playback initiation. This could lead to a rapid increase in displayed views on videos. However, it should be understood here: a high number of displayed views does not guarantee easy monetization. Separate qualified or engaged metrics will still be used to qualify for income and meet Partner Program requirements.
Thus, it will become easier to see millions of views on videos in the future, but this will not guarantee earnings. New creators will have to retain viewers on their videos. For long-form videos, watch hours are critically important, and for Shorts, real, qualified views are key. The company explains these changes due to growing video consumption on the platform and consideration of various content creation models. Additionally, the company states plans to introduce new earning opportunities and incentive programs. Launching a new channel on YouTube in 2027 will differ from before: creating a channel remains free, and uploading videos is easy, but starting to earn from ads just by uploading a few videos will become more difficult.