From 1 February 2027, a channel applying to the YouTube Partner Program will need 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 valid public watch hours over the previous 365 days. The current bar is 4,000 hours over 12 months.
The Shorts route doubles as well. Twenty million valid public Shorts views over 90 days, up from 10 million.
YouTube published the changes on Monday under the headline “New opportunities to earn”. The Verge’s Emma Roth reported it first, under a plainer one: YouTube is making it harder to earn money on YouTube.
Both headlines are accurate. That is the interesting part.
The squeeze lands on people who are not there yet
