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Heroes of Might and Magic 3Partner Program Changes in 2027
From Feb 1, 2027, new YouTube Partner Program applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in a year or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, Shorts revenue needs 10 million Shorts views every 90 days, and every partner must accept new terms in YouTube Studio by Jan 31, 2027.
From Feb 1, 2027, a channel applying to the YouTube Partner Program for ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, double the 4,000 hours asked since 2018. Channels already in the program are not affected by the new entry bar, but every partner must review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by Jan 31, 2027 to keep earning from every feature. YouTube announced the changes on Aug 10, 2026 and calls them the first significant change to the program since 2018. The current rules are on YouTube Partner Program.
Quick facts
| Terms deadline | Jan 31, 2027, in YouTube Studio |
| Takes effect | Feb 1, 2027 |
| New applicants (ads) | 1,000 subscribers + 8,000 watch hours (365 days) or 20M Shorts views (90 days) |
| Existing partners | Keep their place in YPP |
| Fan funding, Shopping, Creator Partnerships | Unchanged: 500 subscribers + 3,000 hours or 3M Shorts views |
| Shorts revenue | Needs 10M qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days |
| Active channel | 1,000 hours (365 days), 1M Shorts views (90 days), or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts every 90 days |
| Premium Lite | Every country with Premium; 60% of net revenue to creators' pool |
| Announced | Aug 10, 2026 |
Sources: Upcoming changes to the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Help, and the YouTube Official Blog, as of Nov 6, 2026.
What changes on Feb 1, 2027?
The entry bar for ads doubles for new applicants. The long-form route goes from 4,000 to 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days and the Shorts route from 10 million to 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days, with 1,000 subscribers in both. These thresholds open ads and Premium revenue. A channel that is already a partner on Feb 1 does not have to meet them.
The lower tier stays where it is. Fan funding, YouTube Shopping and Creator Partnerships still open at 500 subscribers plus 3,000 watch hours in a year or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days, so a growing channel can earn from memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks long before it reaches 8,000 hours.
Shorts revenue needs 10 million views every 90 days
From Feb 1, 2027, a channel earns from the Shorts Creator Pool only while it has 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Below that, it stays in the program and keeps every other kind of earning, long-form ads included; YouTube's blog says Shorts revenue sharing resumes on its own once the channel is back over 10 million. For those channels YouTube promises other incentives (Shopping bonuses, brand deal incentives, boosts for starting trends) with details to come. Separately, when an advertiser targets five or fewer channels with Shorts ads, eligible creators earn a direct 45% share on top of the pool. Shorts earnings today are covered on Shorts Monetization.
What is an active channel from 2027?
YouTube spells out when a partner counts as active: any one of 1,000 qualified watch hours in the past 365 days, 1 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, or 2 long-form videos or 5 Shorts uploaded every 90 days. A channel that falls below gets an extended 90-day window to meet the watch hour or Shorts view target again. Today's rule only says monetization may be turned off after six months without an upload or a post.
Premium and Premium Lite revenue
Premium Lite, the cheaper mostly ad-free plan, expands to every country where YouTube Premium is sold. Each plan gets its own pool: creators share 30% of net Premium subscription revenue and 60% of net Premium Lite revenue, divided by members' watch time and views. YouTube's blog adds that creators receive 55% of their share for long-form and 45% for Shorts, and that in 2026 a partner earned more on average when a viewer subscribed to Premium than from that viewer's ads (YouTube Official Blog). See YouTube Premium.
Fan funding terms
Creators who turned on fan funding before 2023 must move to the Commerce Product Module. Help says eligibility, how the products work and the revenue share do not change (YouTube Help).
What if I do not accept the new terms by Jan 31, 2027?
A partner who has not accepted stops earning from the features those terms cover from Feb 1, 2027, but keeps its YPP status and is not removed from the program. Accepting the terms later in YouTube Studio restores the earnings from then on. A channel in a multi-channel network must accept the terms itself; the network cannot do it for the channel (YouTube Help).
To accept, open YouTube Studio on a computer or phone: YouTube's own video says a notification on the Studio dashboard leads to Review updated terms, then Continue, a check box and Accept and continue for each module, and Finish. George Vanous of Freedom! showed the desktop version, an "Action required" banner across the top of Studio with a Review and accept button that lists the Watch Page, Shorts and Fan Funding modules. The modules a channel has signed are also listed under Settings > Agreements.
What creators say
In an Aug 15, 2026 video, George Vanous, who runs the Freedom! network, pointed to the watch hour bar on a channel's Earn page and told creators that a channel accepted before Feb 1, 2027 is grandfathered in and keeps its partnership. His own reaction: he had expected YouTube to lower the requirements, "instead of double them", but "it is what it is". The new bar matters most for small channels near the old line: a channel with 5,000 hours that is not yet a partner by Feb 1, 2027 needs 8,000 from then on, while the lower fan funding tier, unchanged, gives it a way to start earning in the meantime.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need 8,000 watch hours if I am already monetized on YouTube? No. The 8,000-hour rule applies to new YouTube Partner Program applicants from Feb 1, 2027. Channels already in YPP keep their place, but they must accept the updated terms by Jan 31, 2027.
When do the YouTube Partner Program changes start? The new YPP rules take effect on Feb 1, 2027. The deadline to accept the new terms in YouTube Studio is Jan 31, 2027.
What happens to my Shorts earnings in 2027? From Feb 1, 2027, YouTube shares Shorts revenue only with partners that have 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Below that you stay in YPP and keep long-form earnings, and Shorts sharing resumes when you pass 10 million again.
Do fan funding requirements change in 2027? No. YouTube keeps memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks, Shopping and Creator Partnerships at 500 subscribers plus 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views.
What happens if I miss the Jan 31, 2027 deadline? You stop earning from the affected YouTube features from Feb 1, 2027, but you stay in YPP. Accepting the terms later in YouTube Studio restores those earnings.
Why is YouTube raising the threshold? YouTube's announcement video says the entry bar had stayed mostly unchanged while YouTube grew to billions of monthly viewers, and the new one is meant to reflect that growth. It adds that YouTube expects to pay creators more in 2027 than in 2026.
Sources
- Upcoming changes to the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- YouTube Partner Program updates for 2027, YouTube Official Blog, Aug 10, 2026
- NEW: Updates to the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Creators, Aug 10, 2026 (video)
- Double YPP! - 8,000 watch hours needed now, Freedom!, Aug 15, 2026 (video)
Moments
NEW: Updates to the YouTube Partner Program
YouTube Creators
- From Feb 1, 2027, a channel applying to the YouTube Partner Program for ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000…
- The lower tier stays where it is. Fan funding, YouTube Shopping and Creator Partnerships still open at 500 subscribers…
- From Feb 1, 2027, a channel earns from the Shorts Creator Pool only while it has 10 million qualified Shorts views in…
- Premium Lite, the cheaper mostly ad-free plan, expands to every country where YouTube Premium is sold. Each plan gets…
- Creators who turned on fan funding before 2023 must move to the Commerce Product Module. Help says eligibility, how…
Double YPP! - 8,000 watch hours needed now
Freedom!
Related
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AdSense for YouTubeAdSense for YouTube is the Google account that pays YouTube creators. Earnings are credited between the 7th and 12th of each month and paid between the 21st and 26th once the balance reaches the $100 payment threshold, after the address is verified with a mailed PIN at $10.
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Advertiser-Friendly GuidelinesYouTube's advertiser-friendly guidelines decide whether a monetized video can earn full ads (green dollar icon), limited ads (yellow) or none. They cover 14 topics, from language and violence to controversial issues, and partners rate their own videos through self-certification and can ask for a human review.
- Gifts and JewelsOn YouTube live streams, viewers buy Jewels and spend them on animated gifts; the creator earns Rubies, worth one cent each at launch. Gifts started on vertical live streams in the US in November 2024 and now work on vertical and horizontal streams in many countries, for channels in the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program.
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Inauthentic and Reused ContentYouTube does not pay for mass-produced, templated or repetitive videos (inauthentic content, called repetitious content before Jul 15, 2025) or for other people's material reposted without meaningful changes (reused content). Both are judged across the whole channel, even with the owner's permission.
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Reaction Videos and CompilationsYouTube monetizes reaction videos when you comment on the original, and compilations when you add a storyline and commentary. Mostly silent reactions, unnarrated clip compilations, social media clip roundups and mixes of different artists' songs are not eligible, even with permission.
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US Tax WithholdingEvery YouTube Partner Program creator must give Google US tax info in AdSense for YouTube. Creators outside the US who do are taxed 0 to 30% on earnings from US viewers only, depending on their country's tax treaty; individuals who do not can lose 24% of all their YouTube earnings worldwide.
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YPP Suspension AppealsTo appeal a YouTube Partner Program suspension or rejection, upload an unlisted video under 5 minutes that explains how your channel follows the monetization policies, then submit its link from YouTube Studio's Earn page within 21 days. YouTube decides within 14 days; if it refuses, you can reapply after 90 days.
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2-Step VerificationYouTube requires 2-Step Verification on the Google Account of every channel in the YouTube Partner Program (to use YouTube Studio since Nov 1, 2021) and of every channel applying for the verification badge; YouTube recommends a passkey as the second step because it resists phishing best.
See also
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YouTube Partner ProgramThe YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is how creators earn from YouTube. Ads need 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days; fan funding and Shopping open earlier, at 500 subscribers. New applicants need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views from Feb 1, 2027.
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YouTube ShoppingYouTube Shopping lets creators show products in their videos, Shorts, live streams and channel store. Partners can sell their own merch, and in 18 countries join the Shopping affiliate program (500 subscribers since Mar 25, 2026) to tag other brands' products and earn a commission set by the brand.
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Creator PartnershipsYouTube Creator Partnerships, called BrandConnect until March 2026, is YouTube's marketplace where brands find creators for paid deals. Creators 18 or older in the YouTube Partner Program set a suggested price in YouTube Studio; the brand pays the creator directly, and the video must be marked as a paid promotion.
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Channel MembershipsYouTube channel memberships let viewers pay a creator monthly through the Join button for perks like badges, emoji and members-only videos. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers), can offer up to 6 levels priced from $0.99 to $499.99 in the US, and keep 70% of net revenue.
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Super Chat and Super StickersSuper Chat lets YouTube viewers pay to highlight a message in a live stream or Premiere chat, and Super Stickers to post an animated sticker there. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers) and get 70% of net revenue.
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Super ThanksSuper Thanks lets YouTube viewers tip a creator on an ordinary video or Short; the buyer sees a one-time animation and posts a highlighted comment. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program and keep 70% of net revenue.