YouTube is raising the bar for new creators seeking to earn money from the platform, doubling the watch-hour requirement for joining its monetisation programme.

From 1 February, creators will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours in the previous 12 months, up from the current 4,000 hours. Alternatively, creators can qualify with 20 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days, compared with the existing threshold of 10 million views.

The existing requirement of 1,000 subscribers will also remain in place.

The changes will not affect creators who are already part of the YouTube Partner Programme, the company said.

YouTube is also introducing a new requirement for creators earning through its Shorts Creators Pool. They will need to maintain at least 10 million Shorts views within a 90-day period to continue earning from the pool. Channels that fall below the threshold will remain in the Partner Programme and can continue earning from long-form videos, with Shorts revenue resuming once they cross the threshold again.

YouTube said the changes are intended to keep pace with the platform’s rapid growth. The company now records more than 200 billion daily Shorts views and more than 1 billion hours of watch time on TVs each day.

The higher thresholds could make it more difficult for smaller and newer creators, particularly those focused on Shorts, to begin monetising their content.

The move comes as other social media platforms also revise their creator payment systems. X recently changed its creator payout rules to prioritise original content, while Facebook has introduced a new monetisation programme aimed at attracting creators from platforms including TikTok and YouTube.

YouTube also announced that its lower-cost Premium Lite subscription will expand to all countries where YouTube Premium is available. Creators receive a share of subscription revenue based on members’ watch time and views.