YouTube’s New Monetisation Policy Impacts Creators

• YouTube’s new guidelines for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) aim to identify mass-produced and repetitive content.
• The change is expected to affect creators who heavily rely on machine-generated media.
• YouTube requires 500 subscribers for channels to be eligible for the Partner Programme. After securing 1,000 subscribers, partners can unlock ad revenue and start earning from the ads shown in their videos.
• The new policy aims to “better identify” content that is mass-produced, repetitive, and fails to transform source material.
• YouTube paid over $70 billion to creators, artists, and media companies from 2021 to 2023.
• The policy change aims to “better identify” content that is mass-produced, repetitive, and fails to meaningfully transform source material.
• The policy change is an enhancement of long-standing policies, intended to remove content that viewers often consider spam.
• The use of synthetic content such as visuals, voiceovers, and art raises complex legal questions about whether YouTube is giving users the ability to monetise content that could one day be hit with copyright strikes or lawsuits.
• The new policy does not currently mention penalising or banning “mass-produced and repetitious content” but does not currently mention penalising such videos or banning them.
• The policy shift underscores the increasing importance of originality and transformative work for content creators.
• YouTube’s new monetisation policy is a strategic move designed to improve the overall quality and integrity of the platform.