2017 marked a tough year for YouTube content creators, with several issues affecting the community and the revenue earned from advertising through the YouTube Partner Program. From this week, YouTube has increased the eligibility requirement for monetisation to 4,000 hours of watchtime within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers.

These new thresholds have been decided after thorough analysis and conversations with creators. They will allow the company to significantly improve its ability to identify creators who contribute positively to the community and help drive more ad revenue to them. These higher standards will also help prevent potentially inappropriate videos from monetising which can hurt revenue for everyone. Any of the channels who no longer meet this threshold will be paid what they’ve already earned based on AdSense policies.

On 20 February 2018, YouTube will also implement this threshold across existing channels on the platform, to allow for a 30 day grace period. On that date, channels with fewer than 1,000 subs or 4,000 watch hours will no longer be able to earn money on YouTube. When they reach 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours they will be automatically re-evaluated under strict criteria to ensure they comply with our policies. New channels will need to apply, and their application will be evaluated when they hit these milestones.

Though these changes will affect a significant number of channels, 99% of those affected were making less than $100 per year in the last year, with 90% earning less than $2.50 in the last month. Any of the channels who no longer meet this threshold will be paid what they’ve already earned based on our AdSense policies. After thoughtful consideration, YouTube believes these are necessary compromises to protect its community.