Huge Changes coming to YouTube!

[TubeBuddy]

From YouTube:

"
Have you seen these new YouTube Changes!?

Beginning today, in order to be eligible for the YPP, creators will need to have surpassed 4,000 hours of watch time within the last year, and boast at least 1,000 subscribers. Formerly, according to rules announced last April, channels needed to have 10,000 lifetime views. But the new metrics, YouTube said in a blog post, will aim to weed out bad actors by emphasizing factors like engagement (watch time) and community (subscribers). Raising restrictions will also mean more monetization opportunities for a smaller pool of qualifying channels.

And even after a channel becomes eligible for the YPP under the new rules, YouTube notes, it will only be allowed to monetize pending further evaluation for strikes, spam, and other abuse flags.

While creators who do not meet these new standards will be removed from the YPP as of February 20 in order to allow for a 30-day grace period YouTube claims that 99% of the creators that will ultimately be impacted by these changes are currently making less than $100 per year on the platform. Therefore, they arent likely looking to AdSense as a primary source of income. Nevertheless, channels who are no longer eligible as of February 20 will still be compensated for any AdSense revenues they are already due."

Source: https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/01/additional-changes-to-youtube-partner.html


This would explain the recent issues people have been having in monetization review. I think this is a huge leap, and we will see what happens.

 

[Guitar Hack]

Very Interesting.
This makes the decision to start a YouTube Channel a more serious one.
I think it's a good strategy that could raise the overall return for Creators.
Thanks for the info..

 

[Paul]

I had not seen this information from YouTube. Thanks for sharing @Andrew!

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I see it as good and bad. Myself personally, I don't see myself earning a big profit from AdSense for a very long time. Instead, I focus more on local advertising since my niche is local and that is probably the best area to capitalize. But I am still fine dishing everything out of my own pocket and focusing on making a community for now I have a good job, I make good money and I am content with that - if my channel turned into a decent job, I'd be fine with that as well. Heck I give away more local advertising than I charge for it haha.

But for the bad, these competitors like Amazon could possibly use this to draw people to them. A lot of big YouTubers complain about moves like this, saying YouTube is punishing small channels more so than targeting the channels that are actually the problem. I'm on the fence about it myself but Amazon and other competitors could still use this as a way to at least gain interest and run campaigns to get a stat of usership on their services and they'd likely change the rules later on, following YouTube's footsteps as we all know it.

But I truly do see YouTube's point of all this but I also think they should be focusing on other things as well.

 

[beardedconsumer]

To be honest me starting my channel wasn't about making any money. I wouldn't mind making a few coins on the side but that's not the reason. I want to be that voice or spoke person for people who like me. People who are looking for honest feedback on products or items. All this does is make me want to make better content to reach these goals.

 

[xingcat]

I am of two minds about this (at least). I can see that small channels who don't meet the requirements feel like they're being disrespected for this, and the messaging is horrible. There really can't be a correlation drawn between the recent incidents with larger channels like Logan Paul and small, barely-earning-revenue channels that are going to be demonetized by this move. My guess is that YouTube took the opportunity to bolt the announcement onto this controversy in the hopes that it would make it more palatable, and that was a bad move, because nobody is taking that seriously.

What interests me is that there are so many channels who say, "It's not about the money," when the only thing that's really being affected is the ability to make money until you hit a higher threshold. The other Partner Program tools (custom thumbnails, etc.) are largely unaffected, so it is about making money, even if your channel hasn't generated enough revenue to be paid. So there's perceived value in seeing some sort of accumulation of revenue in your dashboard to creators, even if that's not paid out at all.

I know a lot of creators have never really done much in the creative world outside of YouTube (no performing arts or trying to sell fine art or writing or anything), so the idea that you'd work so hard on something that doesn't make you money feels like it's some sort of slave labor, but I've been doing theater (and related performance-based work) for about 30 years now, and it never, EVER turns a profit for most of us (the average SAG member makes less than $1,000/year, and that's those who were able to get into the Screen Actor's Guild to begin with, which back in the days when I was trying to do extra/featured player work, I couldn't manage), so it's not really ever been expected for me that I'd turn this into a business.

I think what YouTube is doing is basically what businesses call the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your efforts on the 20% of activities that actually turn a profit. I know it upsets a lot of creators, but a lot of creators also think they're bringing significant revenue to YouTube when the numbers show that this, sadly, isn't really the case.

 

[Limitless HD]

Thanks for the information @Andrew

 

[Tommy Drone]

From YouTube:

"
Have you seen these new YouTube Changes!?

Beginning today, in order to be eligible for the YPP, creators will need to have surpassed 4,000 hours of watch time within the last year, and boast at least 1,000 subscribers. Formerly, according to rules announced last April, channels needed to have 10,000 lifetime views. But the new metrics, YouTube said in a blog post, will aim to weed out bad actors by emphasizing factors like engagement (watch time) and community (subscribers). Raising restrictions will also mean more monetization opportunities for a smaller pool of qualifying channels.

And even after a channel becomes eligible for the YPP under the new rules, YouTube notes, it will only be allowed to monetize pending further evaluation for strikes, spam, and other abuse flags.

While creators who do not meet these new standards will be removed from the YPP as of February 20 in order to allow for a 30-day grace period YouTube claims that 99% of the creators that will ultimately be impacted by these changes are currently making less than $100 per year on the platform. Therefore, they arent likely looking to AdSense as a primary source of income. Nevertheless, channels who are no longer eligible as of February 20 will still be compensated for any AdSense revenues they are already due."

Source: https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/01/additional-changes-to-youtube-partner.html


This would explain the recent issues people have been having in monetization review. I think this is a huge leap, and we will see what happens.

I don't like it. But I think it's necessary. I helps keep scammers and those who abuse it under control.

 

[Ehtisham Muhammad]

According to me, this is a good decision by youtube save living of the real creators.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Once I really started reading into today, I have come more and more to an understanding but there is still issues I don't like about it.

But it made me think about something important.

Like many of you, I made my channel for things other than earning revenue but I welcome to ability to capitalize from video strategies. I mean I have invested a lot into it and if it gave me some of that back, I'd be okay with that. If it became an actual career, I'd love to go hiking and backpacking year round and get paid for it haha. But for the time being, I'm going to continue focusing on the brand and developing a community around my channel.

I'm a local niche channel. So when I am out hiking, people recognize me in person, shake my hand, I give them a free sticker and I usually make new friends out of it. Money doesn't do that for me...

AdSense to me is a horrible revenue source to be honest. Who does it really support and how are those companies relevant to OUR BRANDS? I'd rather target local companies and brands that I know will benefit my local audience as well as stabilize the business economy of such local businesses and brands. I would rather target an outdoors outfitter and see them get traffic from me rather than a well-known shoe company that doesn't give a hoot about anyone but those who are willing to buy their products. I think we should all create a strategy like that.

Because in the end, if you finally get to 1,000 subs and 4,000 views or whatever it is, they might change the policy again (remember 10,000 views policy?) and there is nothing you can do about it. Ditch the idea of AdSense and create a strategy that gives you more control of when you can earn, how you can earn and who is actually benefiting from such partnerships.

My few cents of the day! And those few cents are for everyone haha no need to have x-number of views or subs LOL sorry for the pun!

 

[TubeBuddy]

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851?hl=en

More updates! We will not be losing features.

 

[LivingWithTheGuzmans]

Once YouTube Red is in full effect "good bye" everyone from making money on YT. YouTube is going to be like "thanks for bringing us up to where we want to be". ONLY the chosen very few can stay.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Once YouTube Red is in full effect "good bye" everyone from making money on YT. YouTube is going to be like "thanks for bringing us up to where we want to be". ONLY the chosen very few can stay.

Always have a contingency plan just in case statements like this turn out to be true. I backup all videos and the project files for them on external hard drives. If I have to move elsewhere, all my content can go with me

 

[LivingWithTheGuzmans]

I love it because it will ween out the people that are just doing it for money and not because they love making content. The harder it is the real content creators will succeed. It's also a good move to get rid of those channels doing sub for sub crap now they will need hours.
--- Post updated ---
Guys just stay focused on content then look at where your numbers are. Only the strong will survive. If it was easy no one will make any money it needs to be hard so that the one that puts in the hard work will sit back in the future chillin.

 

[Guitar Hack]

I do understand the changes and the need for them but.
It's developing into a dulosis. If you fall below the NEW threshold your cut.
So you have to keep going or you lose it all.

I'm sure YouTube will also review the no content channels and delete their subscriptions. (Like they have done in the past) which will also lower your overall subs.
I'm losing two older channels to it.
One has 47k views
One has 35k views

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I'm losing two older channels to it.
One has 47k views
One has 35k views

But if you keep those channels going and increase the views, they will then become eligible At least from what I understand, please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Guitar Hack]

But if you keep those channels going and increase the views, they will then become eligible At least from what I understand, please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, your correct. As long as the views stay above 4,000 hours for the preceding 12 months and subscriber count doesn't fall below 1,000.
I know everyone will lose subs. This is guaranteed with smaller channels giving up and leaving.
I think your contingency plan of backing up ALL YT content is more relevant than ever now. And VERY good advice

 

[Sltron]

I see both the pros and the cons of this. The pros of course being this will "weed out" bad actors and allow serious channels to grow. Therefore reducing scamming channels as they will eventually flop. The cons, well a lot of channels that were actually serious or wanted to grow, will be hurt. But hey, if people are truly serious about growing their channels they shouldn't have a problem getting those numbers. Just keep working at it.

 

[Spinman]

i wrote a little blog regarding this and this is my opinion if i am allowed to post it here that is,https://spin-man.com/youtube-new-rules/

 

[Life Effects]

This just feels like a slap in the face.

Obviously for most people it is not a financial loss but a motivational issue. This change is obviously targeted to the advertisers but their timing is just awful. Most people assume its their answer to the Logan Scandal which also obviously doesn't affect the big guns on the plattform.

My own situation is not that grim. I am 1000h short but I spent the last 5 month working on a project which left me with minimal time to release content. As soon as I am back on track with my content I see no problem in reaching the threshold at some point.

But this change is a big slap for the 1% I keep reading about that don't match the criteria but have a great cpm. There are people loosing an extra 500-1000$ a year.
I can live without the 144$ I could get at the moment but 500... that is a new camera right there.

It will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the community.