YouTube is Doubling its Monetization Requirements: What Creators Need to Know

If you're a small creator hoping to make money on YouTube, the bar just got higher, a lot higher.

Starting February 1, 2027, new creators will need twice the watch time or Shorts views to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). This marks the first major overhaul of YouTube's monetization program since 2018, signaling a shift toward rewarding established, active creators while making it harder for newcomers to break in.

The New Requirements: What's Changing

While the 1,000-subscriber minimum remains exactly the same, hitting the threshold won't matter if you can't generate the required viewership. The barrier to entry has doubled:

• Current Requirements: 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views.
• New 2027 Requirements: 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views.

Existing YPP members are grandfathered in, but they'll still face new hurdles to keep their Shorts revenue flowing. Current members will need to maintain 10 million qualified Shorts views over a rolling 90-day period to keep earning from the format.

If you fall below this metric, you won't be kicked out of YPP; you'll simply stop earning Shorts revenue until your views climb back up. While YouTube says creators already making "significant revenue" from Shorts won't be affected, this poses a real threat for smaller Shorts creators.

The Premium Lite Expansion

To offset these higher barriers, YouTube is expanding its cheaper "Premium Lite" subscription to all countries where Premium is currently available, creating a lucrative new revenue stream.

Premium Lite subscribers will generate revenue for creators based on watch time and views. For this tier, 60% of net subscription revenue goes directly into the creator pool, double the 30% allocated for full Premium.