Getting into the Partner Program
| Today | 1,000 subscribers, plus 4,000 long-form watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days |
|---|---|
| New channels from 1 February 2027 | 1,000 subscribers, plus 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days |
| Shorts ads from 1 February 2027 | Every channel needs 10 million qualified Shorts views every 90 days |
| Already in | Existing members keep their place in the program |
What Shorts pay
Ads between Shorts go into one pool per country, split by each channel's share of engaged views; the channel keeps 45% of its share. Each music track in a Short reduces its share. For gaming that works out to about $0.02–$0.08 per 1,000 views, against $2–$6 for long-form gaming videos.
Shorts can be up to three minutes for vertical video. Pay is based on engaged views, not the public view count, which since 2025 counts every start or replay.
The reused-content rule
Clips, compilations and reactions can be monetized when they add “significant original commentary, substantive modifications, or educational or entertainment value”. Compilations “with little or no narrative” are not. A violation switches off monetization for the whole channel, with a 30-day wait to reapply. Since July 2025 YouTube also names content that looks “made with a template with little to no variation”.
Content ID
If a streamer or a record label has Content ID, a claim can send a clip's ad revenue to them. Shorts between one and three minutes with a claim used to be blocked everywhere; from 24 September 2026 they stay playable. Streamers who play copyrighted music are the usual source of claims.
What clip channels do on YouTube
- Use Shorts to grow an audience, not as the income.
- Earn from long-form: weekly or per-stream compilations with a story to them.
- Run an official clip channel with the streamer's permission, which also settles Content ID.
Checked on 23 September 2026. YouTube Help is the authority.
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