Overview
- YouTube announced on Monday, August 10, 2026, that beginning February 1, 2027 new creators must meet 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to join the YouTube Partner Program.
- Starting February 1, 2027 channels must record at least 10 million qualified Shorts views over a rolling 90‑day period to earn ad and subscription revenue from Shorts, with payouts pausing for channels that fall below that threshold and resuming once they recover.
- Existing YPP members will not be removed but must accept updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027 to continue earning under the new rules.
- YouTube is expanding Premium Lite globally and creating dedicated subscription revenue pools that allocate 30% of net Premium revenue and 60% of net Premium Lite revenue to creators, with distributions split 55% to long‑form and 45% to Shorts.
- YouTube says the changes reflect massive platform growth and will fund new milestone‑based incentive programs for smaller channels, but the company has not yet disclosed full eligibility rules, payout amounts, or launch timing for those programs.