Starting February 1, 2027, YouTube is changing the terms of the Partner Program (YPP), its first major rules update since 2018. The new rules touch Premium Lite, Shorts payouts, channel activity, and entry requirements for new YPP members.
Accept the New Terms by January 31, 2027
To avoid losing revenue from specific monetization tools, open YouTube Studio → Monetization, review the available modules, and accept the new terms.
This covers the Watch Page Monetization Module, the Shorts Monetization Module, and, where it applies, the Commerce Product Module.
Missing the deadline does not cancel YPP status on its own. The affected monetization tools stop paying out until you accept the new terms.
Fan Funding, Separately
If you turned on memberships, Super Chat, or other fan-funding features before 2023, check the Commerce Product Module.
Creators still on the old Commerce Product Addendum move to the current Commerce Product Module. The terms and payout mechanics stay the same.
What Changes in YPP from February 1, 2027
|
Area |
Before |
From February 1, 2027 |
|
Premium Lite availability |
Limited markets |
Every country where Premium is sold |
|
Premium Lite creator pool |
Not applicable |
60% of net Premium Lite revenue funds the pool, versus 30% of net regular Premium revenue |
|
Shorts payout threshold |
No fixed floor |
10 million Shorts views in the trailing 90 days, required each month for Shorts Creator Pool payouts |
|
New channel entry, hours track |
1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours in a year |
1,000 subscribers + 8,000 watch hours in a year |
|
New channel entry, Shorts track |
10 million Shorts views in 90 days |
20 million Shorts views in 90 days |
|
Channel activity requirement |
Not codified |
1,000 watch hours in 365 days, or 1 million Shorts views in 90 days, or 2 long videos / 5 Shorts in 90 days; miss all three and a 90-day grace window opens |
|
Fan funding contracts |
Some creators still on the old Commerce Product Addendum |
Migrated to the current Commerce Product Module, same terms |
|
Terms acceptance deadline |
Not applicable |
Studio acceptance required by January 31, 2027 |
Have questions about the new YPP rules?
We see that Premium Lite's payout pools, the Shorts grace period, and the new activity thresholds raise more questions than the headlines answer. Get clear answers for your channel. → Ask a specialist.
4 Key Changes
Each change lands on a different type of channel first: long-form creators feel the Premium Lite shift, Shorts-heavy channels feel the payout floor, and channels outside YPP feel the doubled entry bar. In order below: Premium Lite, the Shorts threshold, channel activity, and new-channel entry.
1. Premium Lite: A New Revenue Source
Premium Lite is expanding to every country where regular Premium is available. Premium Lite excludes YouTube Music and keeps ads on music content, Shorts, and search.
60% of net Premium Lite revenue goes into a separate creator pool, versus 30% for standard Premium.
That 60% is not the individual creator's direct share. YouTube builds an overall pool and distributes it among creators by views and watch time. The standard revenue split applies after that: 55% for long-form video, 45% for Shorts.
What to do: nothing to set up. Watch your revenue in YouTube Analytics.
2. Shorts: A Payout Floor Appears
Starting February 1, 2027, a channel needs at least 10 million Shorts views in the trailing 90 days to draw a monthly payout from the Shorts Creator Pool.
Short of 10 million? That does not mean leaving YPP. The Shorts pool payout pauses for that month only. Cross 10 million views again and payouts resume automatically, no reapplication needed. Long-form monetization keeps working the whole time.
YouTube is also adding a targeted-ad option: when an advertiser picks five channels or fewer, the Shorts creator gets a direct 45% share of that placement, on top of standard pool payouts.
What to do: if Shorts drive real revenue, track your trailing 90-day views now. Target roughly 111,000 views a day to hold 10 million a quarter.
3. Channel Activity Becomes Its Own Requirement
Starting February 1, 2027, a channel has to meet at least one of these:
- 1,000 watch hours in the last 365 days
- 1 million Shorts views in the last 90 days
- 2 long videos or 5 Shorts every 90 days
Meet none of these, and YouTube opens a 90-day grace window.
Uploading alone does not clear that window. Regaining active status requires reaching 1,000 watch hours or 1 million Shorts views. Miss the grace window too, and the channel can lose its YPP status.
What to do: keep the channel active and track watch time and Shorts views.
4. New Channels Face a Higher Bar to Join YPP
This change applies only to new applicants. If you're already in YPP, the new entry thresholds do not touch you. YouTube attributes this to platform scale: over 200 billion daily Shorts views and more than a billion hours of YouTube watched on TV screens.
Starting February 1, 2027, a new channel needs, for ad monetization:
- 1,000 subscribers + 8,000 watch hours in 365 days
- Or 1,000 subscribers + 20 million Shorts views in 90 days
Today's bar, for comparison: 4,000 hours or 10 million Shorts views.
Fan-funding requirements stay the same: 500 subscribers + 3,000 watch hours, or 3 million Shorts views.
What to do: if you're not in YPP yet and close to the current bar, apply before February 1, 2027, to qualify under the lower thresholds still in effect.
Not sure your channel clears the new activity bar?
Our specialists dig into your channel across 10 angles and hand you a ranked plan for clearing the new thresholds, using 16 years of benchmark data across 3,000+ channels. → Diagnose my channel.
What You Need to Do
By January 31, 2027
☐ Accept all required updated YPP terms in YouTube Studio.
☐ Check the Commerce Product Module, especially if you turned on fan funding before 2023.
If You're Already in YPP
☐ No need to reapply because of the new thresholds.
☐ Keep an eye on channel activity.
☐ If Shorts drive meaningful revenue, track the 10-million-view, 90-day threshold.
If You're Not in YPP Yet
☐ Check how close your channel is to the current requirements.
☐ If you qualify, don't delay your application past February 1, 2027. After that date, the entry requirements for new members double.
The One Thing to Remember
The new rules are not only about higher thresholds. YouTube is moving toward a model where channel activity, upload consistency, Shorts, and new audience-engagement formats all matter for monetization.
The simplest strategy is to accept the new terms → stay active → track the numbers → use the new monetization options. Don't leave accepting the new terms for the last day.
What Stays the Same
- Revenue split. Creators keep 55% of ad revenue on long-form and 45% on Shorts, per YouTube's partner earnings overview.
- Existing YPP members. Status stays the same. The new entry bar applies only to new applicants.
- Fan funding, Shopping, and Creator Partnerships thresholds. Unchanged: 500 subscribers plus 3,000 valid watch hours in a year, or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days.
- The 1,000-subscriber requirement for ads and Premium eligibility stays the same.
Full Policy Text
