YouTube warns content creators: major policy changes to take effect in 2027
YouTube is raising the bar for its partner program: the company plans to double the threshold for monetization, while keeping existing requirements for fan support tools and YouTube Shopping unchanged.
YouTube is shaking up the creator economy: starting February 1, 2027, the company will double the threshold required to join the Partner Program (YPP) and receive a share of advertising revenue and YouTube Premium subscriptions.
To start earning, new creators will be required to accumulate 8,000 watch hours per year (instead of the current 4,000) or reach 20 million Shorts views within 90 days. Reassuring news for existing members: these changes will not be applied retroactively. Furthermore, the threshold conditions for tools such as fan support and YouTube Shopping will remain unchanged.
The company is also introducing tighter regulations for the Shorts model: starting from this date, only channels that consistently maintain 10 million views over 90 days will continue to receive a share of advertising revenue from short-form content. A channel that falls below this threshold will remain in the program, but its Shorts rewards will be frozen until performance metrics improve. To soften the impact, YouTube plans to launch bonus programs and incentives based on brand partnerships and channel growth.
The bottom line: creators currently meeting the requirements should complete their enrollment in YouTube Studio before February 1, 2027.
At the same time, YouTube is expanding its discounted Premium Lite subscription globally to all countries where the Premium service is available and will share revenue with creators from views generated by these subscribers.
