YouTube raises Partner Program thresholds to 8,000 watch hours

YouTube just doubled the bar for new creators to start making money. Starting now, anyone opening a YouTube Partner Program account needs at least 8,000 watch hours over the past 12 months or 20 million Shorts views in the past 90 days. The old thresholds were 4,000 watch hours and 10 million Shorts views.

The change is part of YouTube’s push to attract higher-quality creators and keep ads away from low-effort, low-value content that drives more engagement but less revenue. Over the past two years YouTube has added stricter rules for monetization, including removing ads from reuploads and short clips, and banning “adpocalyptic” content that relies on copyrighted material. The latest move targets the fastest-growing segment—Shorts—where millions of views can come from reposted memes or recycled clips that pay almost nothing in ad revenue. Industry analysts say the change will shrink the number of creators who qualify for the Partner Program by roughly 30%.

YouTube says the new limits will help it “reward creators who build real, sustainable audiences.” It will also let the company focus payouts on creators who can consistently deliver long-form videos or original Shorts rather than viral flukes. The company will still allow existing Partner Program members to keep their monetization if they meet the old thresholds, but new applicants face the tougher rules starting immediately.

Creators who fall short now have two options: keep uploading until they hit the new numbers or pivot to other income streams like brand deals or merchandise while they grow. YouTube plans to review the thresholds every year and could tighten them further if it finds that higher standards still attract enough new creators. For viewers, the change may mean fewer mid-video ads on borderline content and more original programming from creators who can afford to keep making videos.