YouTube is doubling the amount of viewing a new creator must generate before joining the platform's ad-revenue-sharing program. From February 1, 2027, new applicants to the YouTube Partner Program will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the previous year, or 20 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days, both double the current bar. The 1,000-subscriber requirement is unchanged, and creators already inside the program keep their existing terms.
YouTube framed the higher bar as a function of its own scale, citing more than 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion hours of daily watch time on TV. "With over 3 million creators in the program, we're making the first significant changes since 2018 to ensure that YPP continues to be the leader in the creator economy by meaningfully rewarding active creators," the company said, adding that it expects to pay creators more in 2027 than in 2026.
The change follows a similar minimum-performance model Spotify adopted for its royalty pool in 2024, requiring at least 1,000 streams in a trailing 12 months before a track counts toward payouts. YouTube is introducing its own version for Shorts specifically: from February 2027, every channel will need 10 million qualified Shorts views in the previous 90 days to keep earning ad and subscription revenue on Shorts, though channels below that line keep earning on long-form video and automatically resume Shorts revenue once they cross the threshold again.
The other half of the announcement concerns subscriptions: YouTube is expanding its cheaper Premium Lite tier, priced at $8.99 a month against $15.99 for full Premium, to every country where Premium is sold. Premium Lite pays creators 60 percent of its net subscription revenue versus 30 percent for full Premium, but the tier excludes YouTube Music Premium entirely, meaning less of that revenue flows to music rightsholders even as ads on music content continue generating a separate revenue share for them.
YouTube paid the music industry more than $8 billion in the 12 months to the end of June 2025, according to Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen, who has credited the figure to the platform's combined advertising and subscription model. For creators below the Shorts threshold, YouTube says it will introduce new bonuses tied to YouTube Shopping, brand deals and trend growth, with more details to come.
The facts
- New YouTube Partner Program applicants need 8,000 watch hours from February 1, 2027
- That is double the current 4,000-hour threshold
- Applicants can alternatively show 20 million Shorts views in 90 days
- Existing creators in the program are not affected
- Every channel needs 10 million Shorts views in 90 days to earn Shorts revenue
- Premium Lite is expanding but does not include YouTube Music Premium
- YouTube paid the music industry over $8 billion in the year to June 2025
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