YouTube has announced that creators will be able to monetize their Shorts content starting February 1st as part of a broader update to the company’s Partner Program.
In the past, creators have been able to earn some revenue from Shorts through features such as Super Chats and shopping integrations, as well as a creator fund established by the company.
However, this new monetization option will allow creators to directly share ad revenue with YouTube, something that has previously been available for traditional videos on the platform.
Creators who are already part of the YouTube Partner Program will have until July 10, 2023 to accept the new terms or their ability to monetize will be turned off and they will need to reapply to the program.
YouTube is also introducing a modular system for the Partner Program’s terms, which will allow the company to “add new monetization opportunities in the future without having to update or amend the entire monetization agreement.”
Additionally, YouTube is revising the requirements to join the Partner Program. Previously, creators were required to achieve 4,000 public watch hours on their content within the past 12 months to be eligible.
Starting in October 2022, Shorts were included in this requirement. However, as of January 2023, the requirement has been changed to either 4,000 public watch hours on non-Shorts content or 10 million views on public Shorts within the past 90 days.
Creators must also have at least 1,000 subscribers to be eligible.