On 10 August 2026, YouTube announced the first major change to its Partner Program entry requirements since 2018. From 1 February 2027, new creators applying for ad and Premium revenue sharing will need twice the watch hours or twice the Shorts views they need today.
Here's what the rules are now, what changes, and how to plan a channel around them. Check YouTube's Help Center article 'Changes to the YouTube Partner Program' for the official, current wording.
The requirements today
A lower tier with smaller thresholds unlocks fan-funding features like memberships and Super Thanks, but not ad revenue.
- 1,000 subscribers, plus
- 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, or
- 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days
What changes on 1 February 2027
- Watch hours: 4,000 → 8,000 in the last 12 months
- Shorts views: 10 million → 20 million in the last 90 days
- YouTube says creators already in the Partner Program are not affected
What 8,000 hours means in practice
8,000 hours is 480,000 minutes of watch time in a year. How many views that takes depends entirely on how long people watch:
- At 4 minutes average view duration: about 120,000 views
- At 15 minutes: about 32,000 views
- At 45 minutes (common for sleep and ambient videos): about 10,700 views
Why the change favors long-form
When the bar is measured in hours, a viewer who watches 45 minutes of one video counts as much as eleven viewers who watch four minutes each. Long-form formats — documentaries, sleep stories, ambient and study videos, long compilations — earn far more watch time per viewer, so they reach the threshold with a much smaller audience.
Shorts views don't count toward watch hours; the Shorts route is a separate threshold. Many channels use shorts for discovery and long videos for the hours.
If you're close to 4,000 hours
If you're likely to reach today's thresholds before 1 February 2027, applying before then may matter. Read YouTube's official article for how applications in review are handled, rather than relying on summaries.
Planning a long-form channel for the new bar
Consistent long videos are the most direct route. On DreamTuber a finished hour costs about 260 credits; the $129/mo Studio plan (1,300 credits) covers five one-hour videos a month, and the $249/mo Pro plan (2,750 credits) about ten. The production cost is predictable; the views are not — so pick a niche where people genuinely watch for a long time.
Already monetized? Accept the new terms by 31 January 2027
YouTube's Help Center says existing Partner Program members aren't affected by the higher entry thresholds, but must review and accept updated terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027. If you don't, you stop earning from the related monetization features from 1 February 2027 until you accept; your Partner Program status itself is unaffected.
The other 2027 changes
- Shorts pool: to earn monthly from the Shorts Creator Pool, channels will need to maintain 10M qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days. Missing it doesn't remove you from the program or affect other earnings.
- Channel activity: a channel counts as active with 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days, 1M qualified Shorts views in 90 days, or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days.
- Fan funding, Creator Partnerships and Shopping keep their current bar: 500 subscribers plus 3,000 watch hours, or 3M Shorts views in 90 days.
Requirements for AI videos
There's no separate threshold for AI-made channels. The same subscriber and watch-time requirements apply, plus the same content policies: original, non-repetitive content (the inauthentic-content policy) and disclosure of realistic synthetic content through the "AI use" setting.
Make one with DreamTuber
One topic in, a finished long-form video out — script, voice, visuals, and render, automatically.
Create your first videoFrequently asked
When do YouTube's new monetization requirements start?+
1 February 2027, for new applicants. YouTube announced the change on 10 August 2026.
Do the new requirements affect existing partners?+
YouTube says creators already in the Partner Program aren't affected. Check the official Help Center article for details on channels in review.
Do Shorts views count toward watch hours?+
No. Shorts views count toward the separate Shorts-views threshold, not the watch-hours one.
What are YouTube's monetization requirements in 2026?+
1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months, or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. A lower tier (500 subscribers plus 3,000 hours or 3M Shorts views) unlocks fan funding.
Do I need to do anything if I'm already monetized?+
Yes — accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027 to keep earning from the affected features.
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