There is going to be a big change for those who earn money by making videos. YouTube has announced changes to the rules of its partner program. The new rules will come into effect from February 1, 2027. Apart from this, the company has also made important changes in the rules related to video view count; These changes related to view count will come into effect from August 24, 2026.
The most important change will impact those who are planning to start a new channel in the future and monetize it through advertisements. Just having 1,000 subscribers isn't enough; New creators will need more watch time or shorter views than before. Previously, to qualify for ad and premium revenue, creators needed 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
However, starting February 1, 2027, new applicants must have 1,000 subscribers as well as 8,000 qualifying watch hours or 20 million qualifying shorts views within 90 days. This means the watch time requirement for long-form video creators will double, and the view target for shorts creators will also increase significantly. This change does not mean that creators who are already included in the Partner Program will be removed.
**Rules applicable to new creators**
The new rules will primarily apply to creators who apply for eligibility for advertising and premium revenue after February 1, 2027. This change will not affect the status of the channels already present in the program. However, there is some relief for smaller creators: entry requirements for fan funding, channel membership, Super Chat, shopping and other features will remain the same for now. The current baseline to access these services – which requires 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views – will remain the same. Will the earnings from shorts increase or decrease?
There is likely to be a big change for those making money from shorts. Starting February 1, 2027, to monetize the Shorts Creator Pool (through advertising and premium revenue), a channel must maintain a threshold of 10 million (1 crore) Shorts views in the last 90 days. If a channel drops below this level, it will not be removed from the partner program, but it will not receive a share of Shorts' advertising and premium revenues for that time. Long-form videos and other eligible features can continue to generate revenue.
Change in view count from 24th August
Interestingly, YouTube has also announced a change in the way it counts views. Starting August 24, 2026, videos will be counted as public views as they play. This can rapidly increase the number of views seen on the video. However, there is something important to understand: having more views does not mean that monetization will be easier. Different “qualified” or “engaged” metrics will continue to be used to determine earnings and eligibility for the Partner Program.
In other words, it may seem easy to get millions of views on a video in the future, but it will not guarantee earnings. New creators will have to keep the audience engaged with their content. The key factors will be watch time for longer videos and genuine, qualified views for shorts.
According to the company, these changes have been made keeping in mind the rapidly increasing video consumption on the platform and the different models of creators. The company also plans to launch new monetization opportunities and incentive programs. Starting in 2027, starting a new YouTube channel won't be the same. Creating a channel will be free and uploading videos will be easy; However, the path to earning ad revenue quickly by posting just a few videos is about to get more difficult.