X is ending revenue sharing, and a program rewarding original content takes its place
X is ending the revenue sharing program that pays creators. Current participants keep earning through September 7, 2026, the new program starts on September 8 and everyone has to reapply. Under the new rules, payouts are tied to producing original content and to impressions coming from Premium users.
The program closes and new terms replace it
According to a TechCrunch report dated August 8, 2026, X is ending its revenue sharing program and bringing in a new one that rewards original content. A Social Media Today piece published the same day reports the change as well. The two publications name the program differently: TechCrunch uses Original Content Rewards, Social Media Today uses Original Creator Rewards.
The timeline is clear. Current participants keep earning through September 7, 2026. The new program starts on September 8, 2026. Per Social Media Today, new enrollments were halted immediately and existing members have to reapply under the new parameters. This is not a change that carries over automatically.
Allegra Jacchia explained the reasoning on the X side. As reported, the previous system had reached a point where its incentives were misaligned, and creators should be focused on bringing net new content to the platform rather than maximizing payouts.
Who gets in, what counts and what does not
Eligibility comes down to three thresholds. Only X Premium subscribers can join. At least 500 verified followers are required. On top of that, an account needs 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within 90 days.
How payouts are calculated changes too. Per Social Media Today, payment is based on unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline. The same report notes that fewer than 1 percent of X users hold a Premium subscription, which means the audience the payout is tied to is a narrow one.
What counts as original is spelled out: original writing, reporting and analysis; photos and videos shot by the creator; designed memes and graphics; commentary that adds a meaningful perspective; and content that transforms existing material through creative editing, humor or narration.
The disqualified list is longer: copied or reproduced work, downloaded content re-uploaded without authorization, content created using automated means, monetization coaching and discussion, misleading information, and posts carrying only a descriptive caption. Accounts that regularly incorporate material created by others need to contribute meaningful original value. TechCrunch also recalls that X reduced payments to clickbait aggregators in April 2026 but reversed some of those changes after creator backlash.
This is a content policy, not a payout setting
On the surface the change looks like a payment rule, but what it affects is the composition of the feed. Content made in a system that rewards copy and paste growth is not the same as content made in a system that requires originality. The platform is trying to change what you see through its payout rules. That reading is ours.
Second, content created by automated means is explicitly excluded. For accounts mass producing with AI, the payout door closes. How that will be policed in practice is not stated in the sources, so we note it as an open question.
Third, tying payouts to Premium user impressions. On a platform where a very small share of users hold Premium, that ties earnings to the ability to reach a narrow audience. Content that reaches a wide but non Premium audience may earn less relative to its reach.
Fourth, the timing. Because the transition between September 7 and September 8 requires reapplying, it is not an automatic continuation. An account earning from the program could lose that income by skipping the application.
What it means for businesses in Türkiye
The assessment below is not in the sources, it is our reading. The sources contain no Türkiye specific clause.
A significant share of the accounts earning through X here operate on aggregator logic: videos taken from other sources, screenshots and short news relays. The new rules target that model directly. Transforming the same material by adding narration, editing or commentary stays within scope.
There is a consequence for brands too. For a brand working with creators, the creator revenue model shapes how they produce. Once payouts are tied to original production, whether the account you partner with grew on its own footage or on compilations becomes more visible. Clarifying that distinction at the contract stage pays off.
One more reminder. In Türkiye, the commercial advertising regulation that took effect on August 1, 2026 requires partnerships to be clearly disclosed. Platform payout rules and local disclosure rules are separate matters, but they have to be handled together. That connection is our note, not something in the sources.
The UNALSOFT take
In our UGC marketing work this change is no surprise, because we see the same drift on other platforms: payment is moving from reach toward originality. The practical consequence for brands is this. Follower count tells you less and less when picking a creator, while what the creator actually makes tells you more. Whether an account grew on its own footage or on compilations also decides whether it survives the next time a platform rewrites its payout rules. That is why the question we ask when planning a partnership is a simple one: would this content exist without this account? The campaign side of that work is built together with brand management.
Do you work with content creators?
Let us review your partnership plan against the new rules together.