YouTube creators can now only monetize when they reach 10,000 views
YouTube wants to make sure its creators are legit before giving them the opportunity to make money off videos.
The video giant announced a big change to its partner program on Thursday that now requires creators to reach 10,000 lifetime views before it can run ads on channels.
"This new threshold gives us enough information to determine the validity of a channel," Ariel Bardin, YouTube’s VP of product management, wrote in a blog post. "It also allows us to confirm if a channel is following our community guidelines and advertiser policies. By keeping the threshold to 10k views, we also ensure that there will be minimal impact on our aspiring creators."
Revenue earned on channels with under 10k views up until Thursday will not be impacted.
The YouTube Partner Program was first created in 2007 as a way for producers of very popular content to monetize their videos. In 2012, YouTube opened it up to all creators.
The changes come after recent backlash over ads that run on extremist channels and hateful videos. The company announced last month a handful of changes to its advertising systems designed to give brands more control over where their ads appear.
But a YouTube spokesperson said the platform has been working on revamping the Partner Program since November of 2016.
The change is a response to repeated user complaints over unlicensed re-uploads of popular videos aka “freebooting." Facebook also often faces this issue with its videos.
Also headed to YouTube soon: A review process for new creators who apply to be in the YouTube Partner Program.
"After a creator hits 10k lifetime views on their channel, we’ll review their activity against our policies." Bardin wrote. "If everything looks good, we’ll bring this channel into YPP and begin serving ads against their content. Together these new thresholds will help ensure revenue only flows to creators who are playing by the rules."
Topics YouTube
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
