New Youtube Policies Continues To Make It Hard For Small Channels

By Nathaniel Artosilla, Christian Post Contributor Friday, January 19, 2018

Youtube has recently announced changes to its monetization program telling creators that they are now required to grow their subscriber base before being monetized. While this makes it harder for smaller channels to earn from the site, some established creators said the changes "makes sense" for Youtube from a business point of view.

According to the new rules, content creators are required to have over 1,000 subscribers, with 4,000 hours of view time in the past 12 months to qualify for their Partner Program. This means that channels who fail to meet these requirements will not have ads played alongside their videos hence no revenue.

For years, Youtube's Partner Program has been a way for creators to make money on their channels. While the initial revenue has been less than fruitful, it would continue to grow in conjunction with their channel's popularity.

However, the program has not been a profitable proposition for Youtube as a company which, despite its long history, has yet to reach profitability. Now, it appears the site is putting its finances in order, starting with its advertising model.

While many creators are slamming the site for attacking their revenue stream and therefore their full-time income, Youtube claims that most of the channels that will be affected don't even make more than $100 a year and 90% don't even make $2.50 a month.

Bigger Youtube channels have also chimed in on the situation. Pewdiepie, the undisputed king of Youtube, posted on Twitter saying that while he disagrees with the company's business practices, this recent change does make sense.

Youtube has given all affected channels a 30-day grace period. However, channels that can't abide by the new requirements will be kicked out of the Youtube Partner Program until such time that they will be able to meet its standards.

For now, smaller channels will have to find other ways to make money on Youtube through channels such as Patreon and Paypal. Viewers can also expect many content creators to ask them to subscribe to their channels to help them meet the site's new rules.