YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform owned by Google, has announced that it is lowering the requirements for creators to access monetization tools under the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Additionally, the company is expanding its shopping affiliate program to U.S.-based creators who are part of YPP and have over 20,000 subscribers.
The new qualifications for the partner program are as follows:
- At least 500 subscribers.
- Three public uploads in the last 90 days.
- Either 3,000 watch hours in the past year or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
Previously, creators had to have a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and meet either the requirement of 4,000 watch hours in the past year or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
It is worth noting that the criteria of three video uploads per 90 days may present a challenge for creators who primarily produce longer videos and may not have enough content to release multiple videos within that timeframe, even if they accumulate millions of views.
These new eligibility conditions will initially be implemented in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. YouTube plans to roll out the changes to other countries where the YPP is available.
In addition to the relaxed requirements, YouTube is expanding its Shopping affiliate pilot to more creators in the U.S. Creators who are already part of YPP and have more than 20,000 subscribers will now be able to tag products in their videos and Shorts and earn a commission. YouTube had previously introduced shopping-related features for Shorts to select U.S.-based creators in November last year.
These updates from YouTube aim to provide more opportunities for creators to monetize their content and further engage with their audiences through the incorporation of shopping features.