YouTube has finally introduced a new feature that lets short-form video creators earn some income while making short videos for its TikTok competitor, Shorts.
YouTube's existing Partner Program, which lets video creators earn from the ads appearing on their videos, now accepts Shorts creators and lets them earn 45% of ad revenue from their short-form content, TechCrunch reported.
Previously, only creators with over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in a year were able to join the Partners Program to make some money with their long-form content. Now, Shorts creators can join the program provided that they have at least 10 million views within the last 90 days.
YouTubers who previously earned from producing long-form content now have a new income stream that they'd enjoy. Kris Collins, a YouTuber who goes by the handle KallMeKris, told TechCrunch that this new ad revenue sharing program "is so huge" because it will help her earn while reaching more people via short-form videos.
A first for Short-form videos
This is the first time a video-sharing platform has introduced a working creator-focused revenue sharing feature for short-form videos. It lets video creators earn more than what they could on other platforms, specifically TikTok, which focuses more on advertisers than it does creators.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, only lets the top 4% of all videos in the platform to be monetized via the TikTok Pulse program. Its so-called "creator fund," which was meant to let all creators earn from ads, is paying less and less the more users join the platform to create videos.
A certain YouTuber and TikTok star, Hank Green, told TechCrunch earlier this year that his videos previously earned $0.05 for every thousand views of his videos, but as the views on the platform increased, he only earned $0.02 per thousand views. This decrease in payouts, the TikToker claimed, could be brought about by the growth in TikTok's users.
Other TikTok users confirmed Green's observation and estimate that one could earn even less than two cents per thousand views.
"When TikTok makes more, creators make less - the slogan writes itself," Green said.
The news of YouTube making it easier for Shorts creators to earn, then is big news for its users. Neal Mohan, YouTube's Chief Product Officer, noted that "this is the first time real revenue sharing is being offered for short-form video on any platform at scale."
Mohan said the revenue generated from Shorts ads will be distributed to Shorts creators based on their views.
YouTube VP for content partnerships Tara Walpert Levy clarified that despite the change in its Partner Program, nothing will change in terms of long-form videos' importance.
