YouTube isupdating Shortswith the ability for creators to finally start making ad revenue on their Shorts starting 1 February.
In response to competition from TikTok, YouTube launched YouTube Shorts in 2021. With Shorts, it had begun giving creators the ability to tell their visual stories in a vertical, 60-second format rather than with a lengthy, landscape YouTube video. Within a year,YouTube was braggingthat it had seen momentum with Shorts; it had hit 5 trillion views from short-form videos across the site. Creators could use some existing YouTube monetisation features likeSuper Chatsorshopping integrationsto generate revenue with their Shorts. There was also a TikTok-likesmall creator fund.
But the video platform promised creators they would soon be able to fully monetise their Shorts, like they could traditional YouTube videos. Now, as part of a wider change to its YouTube Partner Program, it’s finally announcing new terms. Anyone already in the Partner Program has to sign the new agreement terms, but they don’t have to opt-in to Shorts monetisation. It sounds like you’re able to pick and choose the ways you’d like to make money on YouTube. While everyone has to sign a base agreement, you can agree separately to Shorts monetisation and/or Watch Page monetisation.
The separate Shorts agreement, which will be available on 1 February to all new YouTube creators, gives creators a cut of the revenue from “ads viewed between videos in the Shorts Feed”. The separate Watch Page agreement is for YouTube creators who prefer to sharelivestreamsand “long-form” videos on YouTube,YouTube Music, andYouTube Kids.
Existing creators who are already members of the YouTube Partner Program have until 13 June 2025 to accept these new terms or lose their ability to monetise. Then, they’ll have to reapply to the program if they wish. The new YouTube Partners Program agreement also includes an addendum for “commerce products” such as memberships and Super Chats.
Finally, to be part of the YouTube Partner Program, you need at least 4,000 public watch hours on your content within the past 12 months. But Shorts is not included in that figure. To monetise Shorts specifically, you now have to get the 4,000 hours on non-shorts content or get 10 million views on your public Shorts within the past 90 days.
