YouTube Tightens The Noose For Creators With New Rules For Content Monetization & Partnerships

Google, today, announced three major changes it will be making to YouTube. All these changes have been deployed in a bid to please the advertisers. 

The most significant change is in regards to the minimum eligibility criterion for channels to monetize their content. For a channel to be a part of YouTube's Partner Program (YPP) to show ads, it now has to have 4,000 hours of view time over the course of last year and at least a thousand subscribers. This limit was previously revised in April last year wherein the only ask was for a channel was to have a total of 10,000 views across all its videos. This change is also applicable to the current members of YPP. If a current member of YPP doesn't meet up to the new minimum benchmark on February 20, it will be removed from the program on February 20. Of course, these channels can apply for monetization once again when they become eligible. Although this move will severely impact the soul of YouTube - its creators, YouTube has given preference to its advertisers. It's important to understand here that just like creators, advertisers also play a crucial role behind the very existence of YouTube. Google added that signals like spam and community strikes will also be taken into consideration to determine whether a channel will be a part of YPP. Google is raising the monetization limits for creators to counter spam and users who misuse YouTube's monetization scheme. Google's Paul Muret elaborated on this.

This combination of hard-to-game user signals and improved abuse indicators will help us reward the creators who make engaging content while preventing bad actors and spammers from gaming the system in order to monetize unsuitable content. While this new approach will affect a significant number of channels eligible to run ads, the creators who will remain part of YPP represent more than 95% of YouTube's reach for advertisers.

The second change is about manual review of creators who will be included in Google Preferred. Google Preferred consists of YouTube's top content creators. This gives advertisers the ability to target their products through creators with whom users most often engage. Google will be reviewing the videos of all the content creators presently included in Google Preferred. Google says that it will complete its evaluation for the United States by mid-February and by the end of March for other regions.

Lastly, Google will be introducing a "three-tier suitability system" which will help advertisers analyse the trade off of running ads in safe environment versus reaching more users. As mentioned before, YouTube's new monetization guidelines will cost a lot of upcoming channels, which in affect also means that advertisers would have lesser audience to target their products to. Google's three tier system will help advertisers better understand the trade off they are making by cutting their target audience.

Source: Inside Adwords (Google)

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.