YouTube is rewriting its Partner Program for the first time since 2018, and the headline change is steep: from February 1, 2027, new applicants will need 8,000 qualified watch hours over 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views over 90 days — double the current thresholds of 4,000 hours and 10 million Shorts views, according to the dated policy timeline published by AIR Media-Tech and reporting from Gizbot and Upgrowth.in.

The overhaul was announced August 10, 2026 and affects new applicants only; creators already in the Partner Program are not affected. The subscriber requirement stays at 1,000. Fan-funding and Shopping thresholds do not change — the 500-subscriber expanded tier (3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views) still unlocks memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and Shopping.

Shorts creators face an additional wrinkle: Shorts Creator Pool earnings will require channels to maintain 10 million qualified Shorts views every 90 days. Drop below that floor and YouTube pauses Shorts payouts, though the channel stays in the Partner Program and keeps earning on long-form videos.

The change caps eighteen months of escalating policy tightening, including the July 2025 renaming of “repetitious content” to the broader “inauthentic content” category, the January 2026 enforcement wave against mass-produced AI channels, and eleven dated brand-safety rule changes since March 2025 affecting news, politics, gaming, firearms and gambling niches.

For creators, the direction is unmistakable: YouTube is raising the cost of entry for ad revenue while keeping fan-funding doors open, and filtering harder for original human-made content.

The takeaway for creators: if you are close to the current 4,000-hour or 10-million-view bar, apply before February 1, 2027 — existing Partners are grandfathered. And build fan-funding revenue now; memberships and Shopping stay reachable at 500 subscribers regardless of what happens to ad thresholds.