YouTube is updating the rules for creators who want to earn money on the platform, introducing higher entry requirements for ad and subscription revenue.
Starting February 1, new applicants will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours in the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to qualify for monetization. The current thresholds are 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views, alongside 1,000 subscribers.
The company said creators already enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected by the change. YouTube also noted that Shorts creators must now maintain 10 million views over a 90-day period to keep earning from the Shorts Creators Pool, while long-form revenue remains available for channels that stay in the program.
Alongside the monetization update, YouTube is expanding Premium Lite to every country where YouTube Premium is offered. The lighter subscription includes an ad-free experience on most videos, plus offline downloads and background playback. YouTube says creators can benefit from this shift because subscription revenue can deliver stronger returns than ad viewing in many cases.
The move reflects the platform's rapid scale, with YouTube citing more than 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion hours of TV watch time each day. As creator economies evolve, platforms are increasingly refining how they reward original content and audience growth. The next phase of digital video may favor creators who build deeper, more consistent communities.
