The YouTube Partner Program entry bar doubles
On August 10, 2026 YouTube changed the entry requirements for its monetization program. From February 1, 2027 new applicants need 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. The subscriber minimum disappears, and creators already in the program are not affected.
The bar doubles, the subscriber requirement goes
Per the YouTube announcement dated August 10, 2026, creators newly applying to the Partner Program will face two alternative thresholds: 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. The effective date is February 1, 2027.
Per a TechCrunch report the same day, the previous requirements were 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in the past year, or 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million Shorts views in the past 90 days. Both the watch hour bar and the Shorts bar double.
The notable part of the new requirements is that the subscriber minimum is removed entirely. What opens the door is no longer subscriber count but watch time or Shorts volume.
YouTube gives a clear assurance for existing members in the announcement: the update will not impact creators already in the Partner Program. Existing members keep their status and benefits.
Shorts revenue, Premium Lite and new ways to earn
A separate threshold applies on the Shorts side. Sharing in ads and subscription revenue requires 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days. Creators who fall below it do not leave the program. They stay in and keep earning on long form content, while Shorts revenue pauses until they pass the threshold again.
The announcement also covers expanding Premium Lite globally and details on how subscription revenue is distributed to creators. We are not relaying the percentages from that section here, because several close figures appear in the text and the risk of misstating them is real. Creators who care about it should read the announcement directly.
YouTube also announced new ways to earn for channels below the 10 million Shorts threshold. Those named include YouTube Shopping bonuses, brand deal incentives and earnings boosts for channels that start or grow trends. Full details have not been shared yet.
On the reasoning, TechCrunch reports YouTube pointing to the need to keep pace with the platform growth: over 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion hours of daily watch time on TV.
Subscriber count stops being a signal
The most striking change is not the higher bar but the removal of the subscriber requirement. Subscriber count served for years as a shortcut for a channel value, yet it can be bought, it can be stale and it may never convert into viewing. YouTube is moving the measure directly to time consumed. That assessment is ours.
Second, doubling the entry bar makes starting harder for new creators. It also means those who do get in will be more established channels. That is an obstacle for the creator and a filter for the advertiser.
Third, the size of the 20 million Shorts threshold. Short video views do accumulate quickly, but 20 million within 90 days demands regular, high volume production. An account that posts occasionally will not get through that door.
Fourth, the alternative routes opened for those below the bar. Shopping bonuses and brand deal incentives mean income shifting from ad sharing toward commerce and partnerships. With details unannounced we cannot size that today, so we note it as an open question.
What it means for businesses in Türkiye
The assessment below is not in the sources, it is our reading. The announcement contains no Türkiye specific threshold or exception.
For new channels here aiming to earn from YouTube, entry gets markedly harder. There is time until February 1, 2027, so a channel starting today can still get in under the old bar. That is a concrete timeline for creators with a plan.
For brands the consequence runs the other way: a higher bar means the pool of channels available for partnerships is more selected. Deciding on a channel by subscriber count was already a weak method, and now YouTube itself measures watch time. Moving to the same measure when evaluating partnerships makes sense.
For businesses running their own channel the practical conclusion is this: regular long form production is a more reliable route than occasional Shorts. Eight thousand watch hours requires viewers to actually stay, while 20 million Shorts views is out of reach for most SMB channels.
One closing note: this change points the same way as X ending revenue sharing in favor of original content. Platforms are shifting payment from volume toward engagement and originality. That connection is our comment.
The UNALSOFT take
On the UGC marketing side we read this as a clarification rather than a restriction. Subscriber count has for years been the number most discussed in partnership conversations and the one that told you least. Once the platform itself moves the measure to watch time, asking the right question on the brand side gets easier: not how many people follow this channel, but how many hours get spent on it. We use the same measure in our ad film work, because watch time is the only honest signal that content actually holds.
Sources
YouTube Blog, Partner Program updates · TechCrunch, YouTube doubles the watch hour requirement
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