YouTube is making it significantly harder for new creators to earn advertising revenue.

The platform has announced major changes to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) that will double the number of watch hours or Shorts views creators need before they can access advertising and YouTube Premium revenue sharing.

The new YouTube monetization requirements will take effect on February 1, 2027, marking one of the biggest changes to the Partner Program in years.

For smaller YouTubers trying to turn their channel into a business, the barrier to entry is about to become considerably higher.

What are the new YouTube monetization requirements for 2027?

From February 1, 2027, new creators applying to receive advertising and Premium revenue through the YouTube Partner Program will need:

  • 1,000 subscribers
  • 8,000 qualified public watch hours within the previous 365 days

OR:

  • 1,000 subscribers
  • 20 million qualified YouTube Shorts views within the previous 90 days

The subscriber requirement remains unchanged, but the viewing requirements are effectively doubling.

Currently, creators need 1,000 subscribers alongside either 4,000 valid public watch hours over 12 months or 10 million Shorts views over 90 days to unlock advertising revenue sharing.

That means a creator who reaches 4,000 hours of watch time in 2027 will only be halfway towards the new advertising threshold.

YouTube monetization requirements: 2026 vs 2027

The difference is substantial.

Current advertising revenue requirements:

1,000 subscribers
4,000 watch hours over 12 months

or

1,000 subscribers
10 million Shorts views over 90 days

From February 1, 2027:

1,000 subscribers
8,000 watch hours over 12 months

or

1,000 subscribers
20 million Shorts views over 90 days

YouTube says the changes are designed to ensure that the Partner Program continues to reward active creators as the platform grows.

YouTube now says more than 3 million creators are part of YPP, while viewers collectively watch more than one billion hours of YouTube on televisions every day. Shorts have also grown to more than 200 billion daily views, according to YouTube.

The sheer scale of YouTube means becoming a monetized creator is increasingly competitive.

Existing YouTube creators won’t have to reach the new entry threshold

There is some good news.

YouTube says creators who are already members of the YouTube Partner Program will not have to meet the new 8,000-hour or 20-million-Shorts-view entry requirements.

These higher thresholds apply specifically to new creators applying for advertising and Premium revenue sharing.

However, YouTube is also making changes to how active creators need to be.

Engadget reports that YouTube is introducing additional activity requirements for existing partners and that channels which remain inactive for extended periods could lose their Partner Program status.

The wider message is becoming increasingly clear: YouTube wants its monetization programme focused on channels that consistently create content and attract audiences.

Shorts monetization is changing too

YouTube Shorts creators face another significant change.

Starting February 1, 2027, creators will need 10 million qualified Shorts views during the previous 90 days to receive advertising and subscription revenue sharing from Shorts.

Importantly, falling below that figure won’t necessarily remove a creator from YPP.

A channel could remain part of the Partner Program and continue earning revenue from eligible long-form videos.

Shorts revenue sharing would automatically resume once the channel again exceeds 10 million qualified Shorts views across a 90-day period.

For smaller Shorts creators, however, maintaining 10 million views every three months is a considerable target.

Can creators still join YPP with 500 subscribers?

Yes.

One important distinction is that YouTube effectively has different levels of monetization access.

The expanded YouTube Partner Program currently allows eligible creators to enter YPP with as few as 500 subscribers, provided they have uploaded at least three public videos within 90 days and have either 3,000 public watch hours or 3 million Shorts views.

This can unlock features such as fan funding and shopping.

YouTube says those lower thresholds for fan funding and shopping products aren’t changing under the new rules.

The increased requirements specifically affect access to advertising and YouTube Premium revenue sharing.

That distinction will become increasingly important for creators.

YouTube is expanding Premium Lite

YouTube is also making changes to its subscription business.

The company plans to expand YouTube Premium Lite to every country where YouTube Premium is available.

Premium Lite provides an alternative subscription for people primarily interested in watching YouTube videos without advertising.

YouTube says revenue generated from these subscriptions will feed into dedicated creator revenue pools.

According to YouTube, 60% of net Premium Lite subscription revenue will be allocated to its creator pool, compared with 30% for standard YouTube Premium. Creators then receive their relevant revenue share based on factors including watch time and views.

YouTube argues that growing subscription revenue could ultimately increase creator earnings despite the tougher Partner Program requirements.

The company says it expects to pay creators more in 2027 than it did in 2026.

Why is YouTube making monetization harder?

YouTube hasn’t positioned the changes simply as a way of restricting monetization.

Instead, it argues that increasing the Partner Program requirements will allow it to invest in creators demonstrating stronger audience growth and engagement.

The platform also plans to introduce more creator incentive programmes covering areas such as:

  • YouTube Shopping
  • Brand partnerships
  • Creator growth
  • Engagement
  • Creating and growing trends

YouTube appears to be gradually expanding its monetization model beyond traditional advertising.

That could create more ways for successful creators to earn money, but it may also make building a meaningful audience increasingly important.

What do the changes mean for new YouTubers?

For anyone planning to start a YouTube channel, the obvious conclusion is that getting monetized through advertising is becoming harder.

But advertising shouldn’t necessarily be the first monetization target anyway.

Creators can increasingly build businesses around several different revenue streams, including:

  • Sponsorships
  • Brand partnerships
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Merchandise
  • YouTube Shopping
  • Channel memberships
  • Super Thanks
  • Digital products
  • Music and content licensing
  • External subscriptions

YouTube itself appears to be encouraging this transition.

Rather than viewing advertising as the single destination for creators, the platform is increasingly becoming infrastructure through which creators can build multiple revenue streams.

For artists and musicians, YouTube can also be much more valuable than the advertising revenue generated directly from videos.

It can help drive music streams, build an audience, promote releases, generate Content ID revenue, sell merchandise and create long-term relationships with fans.

Is it still worth starting a YouTube channel in 2027?

Almost certainly.

But expectations around monetization may need to change.

YouTube isn’t making it impossible for smaller creators to earn money. Fan-funding and shopping features will remain accessible at lower Partner Program thresholds.

What YouTube is doing is raising the bar before creators gain access to its largest traditional monetization engine: advertising.

The change also demonstrates how competitive the creator economy has become.

YouTube has evolved from a platform where uploading videos could eventually generate advertising income into one of the world’s largest entertainment ecosystems.

For creators, that means the opportunity remains enormous.

But from February 2027, earning a share of YouTube’s advertising revenue is going to require a much bigger audience.