Gone are the days where anyone could sign up to YouTube, start uploading videos and immediately begin raking in cash from adverts.
The video-sharing website has tightened up its model and as of now will no longer serve ads on YouTube Partner Program (YPP) videos until the channel reaches 10k lifetime views.
The change should reassure some advertisers, although it could also upset many of its millions of creators.
YouTube wouldn’t specify how many accounts would be affected by the change, but according to internet-data firm Pex, it estimates that 164.5 million, or 88% of all YouTube channels, have cumulative views each under 10,000.
“This new threshold gives us enough information to determine the validity of a channel,” a YouTube spokesperson says.
“It also allows us to confirm if a channel is following our community guidelines and advertiser policies.
“By keeping the threshold to 10k views, we also ensure that there will be minimal impact on our aspiring creators. And, of course, any revenue earned on channels with under 10k views up until today will not be impacted.”
See here for: How YouTube is strengthening brand safety controls
YouTube says for millions of creators, making videos on YouTube isn’t just a creative outlet, it’s a source of income and today, 10 years on from the YPP launch, it has more creators making a living on YouTube than ever before.
While this model helped YouTube grow into the web’s biggest video platform, it has also led to some problems.
“With this growth we’ve started seeing cases of abuse where great, original content is re-uploaded by others who try to earn revenue from it,” a YouTube spokesperson says.
To help protect creator revenue it recently made it easy for anyone to report an impersonating channel, and it says to date this change has helped it terminate hundreds of thousands of channels violating our policies, more changes are needed.
The move by YouTube follows backlash from advertisers over the company’s placement of ads on offensive and questionable videos.
AdNews is launching a half-day forum, convening advertising, media and marketing’s best as well as digital experts to tackle transparency. The cornerstone issues will be debated and discussed with the aim of offering every attendee knowledge and solutions.
See here for more on YouTube:
YouTube boycott leads to first digital ad bookings slump in eight years - SMI
Google ramps up AI as solution to YouTube brand safety
Telstra and Tourism Australia join YouTube boycott
The Guardian cuts online ad ties with Google amidst brand safety concerns
YouTube boycott: Video ad brand safety risk drops by more than half
AT&T, Verizon and GSK join YouTube, Google display boycott
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