YouTube will now count a view as soon as a video starts playing

Creators who want to start earning on the platform will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Currently, creators need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past year or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over the past 90 days. Additionally, creators need to maintain 10 million Shorts views over a 90-day period to earn money.

The decision has drawn backlash from users, as it will make it harder for creators to enter and remain in YouTube’s monetization program.