YouTube hopes stricter ad eligibility requirements will make Shorts revenue “meaningful” for creators

Beginning on February 1, 2027, the benchmarks for ad revenue eligibility on YouTube will be updated. Creators will need more Shorts views to qualify for that format’s ads, and the YouTube Partner Program will effectively double the eligibility requirements for ads and Premium revenue sharing.

Currently, creators who get 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 hours of yearly public watch time or ten million Shorts views over 90 days are eligible to receive ad revenue via the YouTube Partner Program. When the new policy kicks in next February, new applicants to the Program will need either 8,000 hours of watch time over 365 days or 20 million Shorts views over 90 days. Current members of the Partner Program will be grandfathered in and will not have to meet the updated thresholds.

YouTube is also updating eligibility requirements for Shorts ads. No matter how a creator qualifies for the Partner Program, they must have significant Shorts viewership to get a cut of YouTube’s short-form ad revenue. Starting next February, Shorts ads will be limited to creators with at least ten million Shorts views over 90 days. Partner Program members who fall below that cutoff will have their Shorts ads restarted automatically once they get back above the threshold.

By making ad revenue more exclusive, YouTube is making  “adjustments based on the amazing growth of the creator ecosystem over the past few years,” according to YouTube VP of Creator Product Amjad Hanif. In a video hosted by YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie on the Creator Insider channel, Hanif expressed a desire to ensure that Shorts ads can be a “meaningful” revenue stream for creators. It takes millions of views

to generate significant earnings from Shorts ads, hence the new requirements.

By making the Partner Program more exclusive, YouTube is encouraging smaller creators to take advantage of revenue streams that offer more efficient forms of monetization. The platform’s Fan Funding requirements, for example, are unchanged; anyone with 500 subs, at least three qualified uploads over the past 90 days, and either 3,000 yearly long-form watch hours or three million 90-day Shorts views can turn on tools that let them receive direct support from their fans.

“We’re broadening revenue opportunities for creators to reward growth, engagement, and more by introducing new incentive programs, rather than relying solely on ad revenue,” reads a YouTube blog post. “For channels below the 10 million view threshold, these initiatives introduce new ways to earn based on hitting certain milestones, like bonuses for YouTube Shopping, incentives for brand deals, and earnings boosts for starting and growing trends. We’ll share more details soon.”

YouTube Partner Program ads were innovative when they first arrived nearly 20 years, and in 2026, those spots continue to pay off for millions of creators. At the same time, revenue is shifting, with creators earning more than ever before from direct funding methods. YouTube’s upcoming update acknowledges the changing state of the creator economy without punishing the Partners who rely on ad revenue to run their channels.

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