Breaking into YouTube and actually making money from it already requires some serious numbers. Starting next year, creators are going to have an even taller mountain to climb. YouTube has announced major changes to its Partner Program that will double two of the requirements new creators need before they can earn a share of advertising and Premium revenue.
YouTube is literally doubling the numbers
New creators will need 1,000 subscribers alongside either 8,000 qualified public watch hours over the previous 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views within 90 days to qualify for ad and Premium revenue sharing.
As of right now, that requirement sits at 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours over 12 months or 10 million valid Shorts views over 90 days. In other words, the subscriber requirement stays put while both routes based on actual viewing numbers effectively double.
Meanwhile, fan funding and Shopping features will remain unchanged. So these giant numbers won’t be affecting all sources of revenue for creators. So there are other ways to make money without hitting those giant numbers. YouTube also adds that these are the first significant changes to the Partner Program since 2018. The company now has more than three million creators in YPP.
Shorts creators have another number to worry about
Starting February 1, 2026, existing creators will also need 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days to receive Shorts ad and subscription revenue sharing. Falling below that line won’t kick a creator out of YPP or stop earnings from long-form videos, and Shorts revenue sharing will resume automatically if the channel crosses the threshold again.
Creators will need to maintain either 1,000 annual watch hours or one million Shorts views, but regularly publishing content can also keep a channel in good standing. Channels that go at least six months without uploading could also be removed from the program.
YouTube is sweetening the announcement by expanding Premium Lite to every country where YouTube Premium is offered, while introducing additional creator incentives around Shopping, brand deals, and trends. Even with these changes, the company is expecting to pay creators more in 2027 than it did in 2026.