YouTube, the popular video-sharing platform owned by Google, has announced that it is lowering the requirements for creators to gain access to its monetization tools under the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). This move aims to empower more creators and provide them with additional opportunities to earn revenue from their content. By expanding its shopping affiliate program, YouTube allows US-based creators with over 20,000 subscribers who are part of YPP to participate.

Under the new eligibility criteria, creators need to meet the following conditions:

1. Have a minimum of 500 subscribers.
2. Upload at least three public videos within the last 90 days.
3. Accumulate either 3,000 watch hours in the past year or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Previously, creators had to meet the requirements of having at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 watch hours in the past year or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Creators who meet the new threshold can apply to join YPP and gain access to a range of monetization tools. These include tipping options such as Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers, subscription tools like channel memberships, and the ability to promote their own merchandise using YouTube Shopping.

However, the criteria of uploading three videos per 90 days present an interesting challenge for long-form content creators who may not have enough material to produce multiple videos within that time frame, despite accumulating millions of views.

YouTube is initially implementing these new eligibility requirements in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. It plans to roll out the changes to other countries where the YPP is available in the future.

In addition to the modifications to its monetization program, YouTube is also expanding its Shopping affiliate pilot to more creators in the U.S. Creators who are already part of YPP and have more than 20,000 subscribers will be able to tag products in their videos and Shorts and earn commissions. YouTube initially introduced shopping-related features for Shorts to select U.S.-based creators in November of the previous year.

Further details about these new programs will be discussed and provided by YouTube at the upcoming VidCon conference.

This announcement follows a previous policy change by YouTube in March, which revised its rules regarding the use of profanity at the beginning of videos. Initially, the company had implemented a policy in November to disqualify any video containing profanity in the first 15 seconds, even if it was an older upload. However, YouTube adjusted this policy to allow profanity in the first seven seconds and permitted its use in music videos.

YouTube has been actively focusing on introducing new monetization tools for creators utilizing Shorts. In February, the platform began sharing ad revenue with Shorts creators. During the company’s Q4 2022 earnings call, YouTube reported that Shorts had surpassed 50 billion daily views. In comparison, Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, disclosed that Reels achieved 140 billion daily views in October of the same year.

Last year, YouTube unveiled Creator Music, a tool that enables artists to earn money in exchange for their music being used in videos. In March, the company introduced a new metric to track an artist’s reach across different formats, including Shorts.