YouTube has announced changes to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) that will require new creators to accumulate twice as many watch hours before they can start earning money, while also introducing a minimum viewership threshold creators must maintain to keep earning from Shorts. The changes take effect February 1, 2027, and mark the first major update to YPP entry requirements since 2018.

According to YouTube’s blog post, new creators applying to YPP will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past 365 days, up from 4,000, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, up from 10 million. YouTube said the update will not affect creators already in the program. The company did not specify a subscriber count for these thresholds in its announcement.

The company is also adding an ongoing requirement for Shorts monetization. Beginning February 1, creators will need 10 million qualified Shorts views over a trailing 90-day period to remain eligible for ads and subscription revenue sharing on Shorts. Channels that fall below that mark stay in YPP and keep earning on long-form content, with Shorts revenue sharing resuming automatically once views cross the threshold again. YouTube said creators who already earn notable Shorts revenue are unlikely to be affected.

Entry requirements for YPP’s Fan Funding and shopping products remain unchanged, at 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours or three million views in the last 90 days.

Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s VP of Creator Products, framed the changes as a response to the platform’s scale rather than a retreat from creators. “We want to make sure that the earnings you get from the program are meaningful and allow you to reinvest in your channel,” Hanif said in a video interview with Creator Insider’s Rene Ritchie. He added that YouTube expects to pay creators more in 2027 than in 2026 despite the higher bar. YouTube’s blog post cited over 200 billion daily Shorts views and more than a billion daily hours of TV watch time as the growth driving the update.

To offset the higher thresholds for smaller channels, YouTube said it is introducing incentive programs that pay creators for milestones beyond ad revenue, including bonuses for using YouTube Shopping, securing brand deals, and growing trends. Hanif said the company has been testing versions of these incentives over the past year and will share further details later.

The changes also expand Premium Lite, YouTube’s lower-cost ad-light subscription tier, to every country where YouTube Premium is offered. Creators draw revenue from a dedicated pool for each subscription type, 30% of net revenue for Premium and 60% for Premium Lite, distributed by member watch time and views. From that pool, long-form videos receive a 55% revenue share and Shorts receive 45%.

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