YouTube doubles monetization thresholds, citing 200 billion daily Shorts views

Starting February 1, 2027, new YouTube Partner Program applicants need 8,000 watch hours (up from 4,000) or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days (up from 10 million) to monetize. Existing creators are unaffected. YouTube cited 200 billion daily Shorts views and over a billion daily TV watch hours as justification. Premium Lite also expanded to all Premium-available markets.