YouTube is raising the entry requirements for its Partner Programme, doubling the watch hours and Shorts views needed for new creators to begin earning advertising and subscription revenue.
From 1 February 2027, new applicants will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over the previous 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days. The subscriber threshold remains unchanged at 1,000. These figures double the current requirements of 4,000 watch hours and 10 million Shorts views.
The company announced the changes in a blog post on Monday, stating that with more than three million creators already in the programme, the adjustments represent the first significant updates since 2018. YouTube said the move aims to ensure the programme continues to lead in the creator economy by meaningfully rewarding active creators. The platform expects to pay even more to creators in 2027 than in 2026.
YouTube linked the higher bar to its own growth, pointing to more than 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion hours of daily watch time on television. Creators already enrolled in the YouTube Partner Programme will not be affected by the new entry thresholds.
The change marks a shift for a company that spent the past four years expanding access. In September 2022, YouTube opened the programme to Shorts-focused creators at the lower thresholds of 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days, while also introducing an earlier access tier for fan funding tools. Those lower thresholds remain in place at 500 subscribers and three public uploads in the last 90 days, plus either 3,000 valid public watch hours in a year or three million valid public Shorts views in 90 days.
YouTube is also introducing a minimum performance requirement for Shorts earnings. From 1 February 2027, every channel in the Partner Programme will need 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days to remain eligible for ads and subscription revenue sharing on Shorts. Channels that fall below this level will stay in the programme and continue earning on long-form content, with Shorts revenue sharing resuming automatically once they again cross the 10 million view mark.
The company said the update will distribute Shorts revenue to reward creators who drive conversation and engagement. Creators who already earn significant revenue from Shorts are unlikely to be affected.
This approach mirrors changes seen elsewhere in digital media. Spotify, for instance, requires tracks to be streamed at least 1,000 times in the previous 12 months to qualify for its recorded music royalty pool.
For Nigerian and broader African creators, the higher thresholds arrive against a backdrop of growing global reach and monetisation opportunities on the platform. Nigerian musicians and filmmakers have increasingly used YouTube to access international audiences and higher advertising rates in markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom. The top 16 Nigerian artists alone have collectively surpassed 20 billion views, while Nollywood filmmakers have turned to the platform for direct, ungated distribution of full-length films that can generate sustained revenue over many years
Addy Awofisayo, head of music for Sub-Saharan Africa at YouTube, has previously noted that creators in Nigeria can earn from viewers worldwide once they join the Partner Programme, benefiting from stronger digital advertising ecosystems in developed markets. Consistency, audience engagement and educational support through initiatives such as the Music Business Academy, Foundry and creator boot camps have helped local talent maximise these opportunities.
The raised entry bar may make initial access more demanding for emerging Nigerian creators, yet those who qualify and maintain strong Shorts performance will continue to tap into a revenue model that has already proven transformative for African content on the global stage.