YouTube announced in August 2026 its first major update to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) eligibility requirements since 2018 \u2014 and the changes take effect on February 1, 2027.
What's Changing
New creators applying for ad and YouTube Premium revenue sharing will need either 8,000 qualified public watch hours in the past 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the past 90 days \u2014 both figures doubled from the current 4,000 hours and 10 million views.
Subscriber Requirement Unchanged
The 1,000-subscriber requirement for this tier stays exactly the same \u2014 only the watch-time and Shorts-view thresholds are doubling.
Existing Partners Are Protected
If you're already part of YPP, you keep your current status and continue earning \u2014 these new thresholds apply only to new applicants from February 2027 onward.