YouTube has announced a major change to its YouTube Partner Program (YPP), raising the eligibility threshold for new creators who want to earn advertising and YouTube Premium revenue.
Starting February 1, 2027, new creators will need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified public watch hours in the previous 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days.
What Has Changed?
Under the current rules, creators need:
- 1,000 subscribers
- 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, or
- 10 million valid Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Under the new requirements, the thresholds will effectively double:
- 8,000 watch hours instead of 4,000
- 20 million Shorts views instead of 10 million
- The 1,000-subscriber requirement remains unchanged.
Will Existing Creators Be Affected?
YouTube says creators who are already part of the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected by the new entry requirements. The changes are primarily aimed at new applicants seeking access to ad and YouTube Premium revenue sharing.
The lower YPP tier for features such as fan funding and shopping also remains unchanged, with eligibility starting at 500 subscribers plus additional activity and watch-time or Shorts-view requirements.
What It Means for YouTubers
For new creators, reaching monetization will become significantly more challenging. Channels will need to focus on consistent publishing, audience retention, long-form watch time and high-quality Shorts content.
For digital marketers and creators, this update makes content strategy and audience retention even more important.
Bottom line: YouTube is raising the monetization bar. From February 2027, new creators will need 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views to qualify for ad and YouTube Premium revenue sharing.
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