YouTube is doubling the viewing thresholds for new creators who want advertising and Premium revenue through the YouTube Partner Program. From 1 February 2027, a new applicant will need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the previous 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days.
That is the threshold for ads and Premium revenue, not the only way to enter YPP. Under the current earlier-access tier, a creator in an eligible country can apply with 500 subscribers, three public uploads in 90 days and either 3,000 public watch hours over a year or 3 million public Shorts views in 90 days. That lower tier can unlock fan-funding features such as memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks, plus some Shopping tools. It does not unlock advertising revenue.
The current ad-revenue tier requires 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours over a year or 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. YouTube’s August announcement names the two new viewing thresholds but does not state whether the 1,000-subscriber requirement will remain, change or disappear. Until YouTube publishes that detail, the new rules should not be read as allowing a channel to qualify for ad revenue on watch time or Shorts views alone.
What is explicit is that existing YPP members will not have to requalify under the higher entry thresholds. YouTube says the change applies to new creators applying for ads and Premium revenue sharing, while the 500-subscriber early-access route and its lower fan-funding and Shopping thresholds remain unchanged.
Shorts will also receive a separate rolling threshold. Beginning on the same date, a channel must record 10 million qualified Shorts views across 90 days to receive Shorts advertising and subscription revenue. A channel that falls below that level can remain in YPP and continue earning from long-form content, with Shorts revenue sharing resuming automatically after it crosses the line again.
YouTube says channels below the Shorts threshold will have other opportunities, including Shopping bonuses, brand-deal incentives and rewards tied to starting or growing trends. The company has not yet published the full mechanics or payment values for those programmes.
The reliable reading is narrower than the first version of this story suggested: 3 million Shorts views can open YPP’s early fan-funding tier today, but not Shorts advertising revenue. YouTube has officially doubled the separate viewing benchmarks for new ad-revenue applicants in 2027, protected existing partners and created a continuing threshold for Shorts revenue. The subscriber rule for that 2027 ad tier is an unanswered part of the application process, not a requirement that can safely be assumed away.
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