YouTube is Making It Harder For Creators To Get Paid with Updated Watch Time Requirements

In today's Brain Squeeze episode, its election day in Wisconsin, so make sure you go vote! Then we get into the juice—YouTube has announced their new partner program requirements in order for creators to get paid, and creators are not happy. Starting February 1st, 2027, creators who want to monetize their channel through YouTube’s Partner Program (YPP) will need at least 1,000 subscribers and either 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. That’s double from YouTube’s current requirement of 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 watch hours in the past year, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. Is corporate greed the reason for the change? Or is YouTube doubling down on the idea that long-form content is king? Let's get into these juicy thoughts!Connect with me on social media! @CarrieNoni_