Update (Jan 11, 6.25 pm ET): Google provides more details about YouTube Shorts revenue sharing.
What you need to know
- YouTube has announced that Shorts creators will soon be able to join the YouTube Partner Program.
- Shorts creators will have to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views within 90 days to qualify.
- YouTube will give up-and-coming creators access to fan funding features like Super Thanks and more.
- Shorts will also be part of YouTube's revenue sharing, with ads running between videos.
- YouTube's new Creator Music feature will give creators easy access to tracks they can use in their videos.
YouTube Shorts has been growing at a fast pace since Google launched its TikTok competitor just a year ago. While Google has helped Shorts creators make money from their videos with the YouTube Shorts Fund, it's now giving them the opportunity to get monetized through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
YouTube announced on Tuesday that Shorts creators will be able to apply to the program in early 2023, granted they meet certain requirements. This includes having at least 1,000 subscribers and at least 10 million views within 90 days.
Those eligible will have access to all YPP benefits, including fan funding features like Super Thanks (currently in beta for Shorts) and tons of other ways to make money through their videos. That includes revenue sharing, which will pay Shorts creators for ads that run in between videos.
According to YouTube, the revenue gained from these ads will be added together, with 45% of the total revenue distributed to current and future Shorts creators in the Partner Program.
"We expect the majority of our Shorts Fund recipients to earn more money under this new model, which was built for long term sustainability," says Amjad Hanif, YouTube's vice president of Creator Products. "Instead of a fixed fund, we're doubling down on the revenue sharing model that has supercharged the creator economy and enabled creators to benefit from the platform's success."
Hanif notes that YPP paid more than $50 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past three years. Now, the platform hopes to give even more up-and-coming creators a piece of the pie with a new tier that gives them access to just some of the benefits. Long-form, Shorts, and live creators will be able to receive fan funding benefits such as memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks when the new tier rolls out in 2023. There aren't many details, but more will be revealed before the new tier launches next year.
Lastly, YouTube is giving creators an easy way to find music to include in their videos. The new Creator Music page in YouTube Studio provides access to tons of tracks that can be used for long-form videos. This includes license-free tracks or songs creators can pay for upfront or through revenue sharing. It'll streamline the process of using licensed music by making the terms of using the tracks easy to understand, allowing creators to share revenue with the original artist and "keep the same revenue share they'd usually make on videos without any music."
The new Creator Music is now in beta in the U.S. and will expand to more countries next year.
Update
As promised, Google has revealed more details about the new Partner Program for Shorts creators. In a support page published this week, Google revealed that Shorts revenue sharing will begin on February 1 and replace the Shorts Fund that was first introduced in 2021.
To be eligible, you must create original content that follows YouTube's advertiser-friendly guidelines. Ineligible Shorts include non-original content such as reuploads from other creators, unedited clips from movies and TV shows, and unoriginal compilations.
Creators will have to accept the Shorts Monetization Module in order to participate in revenue sharing. Google also reiterates that creators will receive 45% of the revenue from ads regardless of whether or not they use music.
You can view more details about Shorts revenue sharing on the support page.
