What changes for YouTube creators on February 1, 2027

On February 1, 2027, YouTube's Partner Program (YPP), the program that shares ad and subscription revenue with creators, gets its first major overhaul in years. YouTube calls them “the first significant changes since 2018” for a program with more than 3 million creators. In short: it will be harder for new channels to start earning from ads, Shorts revenue sharing will be limited to high-volume channels, and every partner has to accept new terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027.

YouTube announced the changes on August 10, 2026, and set out the details on its help pages.

Higher bar for new creators

Today a channel can apply for YPP once it has 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 qualified watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. From February 1, 2027, new creators will still need 1,000 subscribers, but the alternatives double: 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Channels already in the program are not affected: “If you are already in YPP, your status is not impacted by this update,” YouTube says. The lower tier for fan funding, YouTube Creator Partnerships and YouTube Shopping also stays where it is, at 500 subscribers plus either 3,000 qualified watch hours in the last year or 3 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Shorts: a 10 million view threshold every month

Under the current Shorts rules, ad revenue from the Shorts Feed goes into a Creator Pool, which is shared among monetizing creators by their share of engaged views in each country, and creators keep 45% of what is allocated to them. From February 1, 2027, a channel will need at least 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days to earn Shorts ad and Premium revenue in a given month.

Missing the threshold does not remove a channel from the program. YouTube says channels below it “remain in YPP and continue earning on long-form content,” and Shorts revenue sharing resumes automatically once they pass 10 million views again. For those channels, YouTube says it is introducing programs that may offer bonuses for YouTube Shopping, production credits for brand deals and earnings boosts for cultural trends, and that eligible creators will be told how to opt in as each program launches.

YouTube is also adding a direct payment for some Shorts ads. If an advertiser targets an ad to a group of five or fewer channels, eligible creators earn a 45% share of that ad's net revenue, on top of their Creator Pool earnings.

Premium Lite and subscription pools

YouTube is expanding its Premium Lite subscription to every country where YouTube Premium is available. Creators will share in a pool representing 60% of net Premium Lite subscription revenue, compared with 30% for full Premium. YouTube says the pools allow for the cost of running and promoting the services, including payments to music partners, and are divided by members' watch time and views, with creators then receiving 55% for long-form videos and 45% for Shorts. On average, YouTube says, creators earn more per user from Premium than from ads, based on 2026 performance.

The announcement lists no change to the split for ads on long-form videos. Under the current Watch Page Monetization Module, YouTube pays partners 55% of net revenue from ads shown on their public videos.

New rules for staying active

From February 1, 2027, a channel counts as active if it has 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days, or 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or uploads two long-form videos or five Shorts every 90 days. Channels that fall below get an extended 90-day window to meet the watch-hour or Shorts-view requirement and stay in the program.

What creators need to do

• Accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027. YouTube lists the Watch Page Monetization Module, the Shorts Monetization Module and, where it applies, the Commerce Product Module.
• Creators who turned on fan funding before 2023 may still be on the older Commerce Product Addendum; they are being moved to the Commerce Product Module, with no change to thresholds or revenue share.
• Channels in a multi-channel network: the network accepts for channels it owns and operates, but affiliate channels must accept the terms themselves.
• Anyone who misses the deadline stops earning from the affected features on February 1, 2027, but stays in the program and can regain access by accepting later.

Who is most affected

The changes matter most for two groups: new channels trying to qualify for ad revenue, which will need twice the watch hours or Shorts views, and smaller Shorts creators, who will share in Shorts revenue only in months when they meet the 10 million view, 90-day threshold. Creators already in the program keep their status either way, but they keep earning only if they accept the new terms in time.

Online communities are part of the same picture: video sites such as YouTube are among the places Americans find them, according to Pew Research Center.