YouTube Monetization 2027: New Partner Program Requirements

With a change announced on 10 August 2026, YouTube is raising the entry bar for ad revenue in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). From 1 February 2027, newly applying channels will need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 valid public watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days. Channels already in the program are not affected by the new entry threshold.

To see the full picture, though, you need to look beyond the entry threshold to Shorts revenue, channel activity and the updated program terms.

What are the new YouTube monetization requirements for 2027?

According to YouTube's official announcement, this is the first major change to the program since 2018. The entry requirements for sharing in ad and YouTube Premium revenue change as follows:

• Today: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
• From 1 February 2027 (new applications): 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 valid public watch hours in the last 365 days, or 1,000 subscribers and 20 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Meeting one of the two performance thresholds is enough; you do not need both 8,000 hours and 20 million Shorts views. The subscriber requirement does not change.

Turning these numbers into daily averages makes the target concrete. 8,000 hours means close to 22 hours of watch time every day for a year. 20 million Shorts views means more than 220,000 views a day on average over 90 days. In other words, the bar is set for channels that publish regularly and hold their audience, not for channels that upload now and then.

Who is affected, and who is not?

The group most affected is new and mid-sized channels planning to apply for ad revenue after early 2027. YouTube's help page states clearly that the membership status of channels already in YPP is not affected by this update.

Entry requirements for fan funding (channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and similar) and YouTube Shopping do not change. At this first level, called the expanded YPP, the current threshold is 500 subscribers with at least 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days. The expanded YPP is available only in certain countries, so check YouTube's list for yours; Turkey is on it. A channel in a listed country can therefore start earning from this level before it reaches ad revenue.

Is there a separate threshold for Shorts revenue?

Yes, and this is the change that tends to get missed. From 1 February 2027, to receive a share of the Shorts Creator Pool (the pool from which Shorts ad revenue is distributed) in a given month, a channel must maintain 10 million valid public Shorts views over the last 90 days.

Falling below this threshold does not remove a channel from the program and does not affect earnings from long-form videos. But for a channel that produces only Shorts and has fluctuating views, it means some months with no Shorts revenue at all. That makes a revenue plan built only on short video more fragile in 2027.

In the same announcement, YouTube also described alternative routes to income for smaller creators: YouTube Shopping bonuses, incentives for brand partnerships, and earnings boosts for creators who start or grow trends. When and under what conditions these programs will be offered in each country is not yet clear, so keep an eye on the official help pages.

What counts as an active channel, and what must existing partners do?

From 1 February 2027, a channel needs to meet just one of these three conditions to count as active:

• 1,000 valid public watch hours in the last 365 days,
• 1 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days,
• 2 long-form uploads or 5 Shorts uploads every 90 days.

Channels in the program have one more task: accept the updated YPP terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027. According to YouTube, channels that do not accept the terms will stop earning from the relevant monetization features from 1 February 2027 and will need to accept the terms to regain access. If you work with an agency or as a team, assign someone to check that the channel owner gives this approval on time.

What does this mean for creators and for brands?

Many people use YouTube, both independent creators and brands, and the outcome is different for each.

For an independent creator, the roadmap becomes clearer: first join the expanded YPP with 500 subscribers (where it is available) to unlock fan funding and shopping income, then work toward 1,000 subscribers and the new watch-time threshold. Do not forget the general YPP requirements either: 2-Step Verification turned on for the Google account, a single active AdSense for YouTube account linked to the channel, and no active Community Guidelines strikes.

For brands, YouTube is a communication channel more than a direct source of revenue. Getting a brand channel into YPP is rarely the goal; the real impact shows up in choosing creators to work with. As thresholds rise, the "monetized channel" label will become a more selective filter for new channels. Still, what should decide a partnership is how well the channel holds its viewers and how closely its audience matches your customers.

What can you do before February 2027?

If your channel is close to the threshold, the time to prepare is limited but sufficient. A mistake we often see is increasing the number of videos to get closer to the threshold while letting quality drop; watch time builds up when viewers stay in the video.

1. Measure where you stand. In YouTube Studio, note your watch hours for the last 12 months and your Shorts views for the last 90 days. If you can pass the current threshold (4,000 hours or 10 million Shorts views) before 1 February 2027, plan the timing of your application around that.
2. Focus on retention. Look at average view duration and the seconds where the audience retention graph starts to drop. Long intros, off-topic sections and repetition are usually the cause.
3. Connect Shorts with long-form video. Shorts work for discovery, long videos for watch time. Shorts series that point to a related long video are the most practical way to approach both thresholds at once.
4. Set a publishing schedule. The active channel condition also rewards consistency. Choose a pace you can sustain and stick to it.
5. Test titles and thumbnails. If clickthrough rate is low, even a good video will not reach enough viewers. The testing features and impressions clickthrough rate data in YouTube Studio point the way.

If you want to plan video production with a professional team, see our photo and video production service, and for structuring partnerships with creators, our influencer marketing page.

Quick checklist

• New YPP entry requirement from 1 February 2027: 1,000 subscribers with 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views.
• Current members keep their membership, but must accept the new terms by 31 January 2027.
• A monthly share of the Shorts pool will require 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
• The 500-subscriber expanded YPP requirements have not changed; check whether it is available in your country (it is in Turkey).
• The goal is not volume, but regular publishing that holds viewers.

If you would like to review your channel's current position together, you can contact us.