YouTube expands monetization opportunities for content creators, making it easier for a larger number of creators to earn revenue, particularly those with smaller subscriber counts.
The company has announced a reduction in the requirements for its YouTube Partner Program and the introduction of multiple monetization methods for creators, including paid chats, tips, channel memberships, and shopping features. YouTube now offers a more accessible path to earning money: more individuals are eligible for monetization.
According to the new policy, monetization will be available to creators once they reach 500 subscribers, which is half the previous requirement. Other milestones have also been adjusted: participating creators will need 3,000 hours of watch time instead of the previous 4,000 hours, or 3 million views on Shorts compared to the initial benchmark of 10 million hours. Initially, these new requirements will be effective in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Similar to YouTube, other platforms like TikTok have also lowered the entry barrier for monetization features.