IncomeWiki

Revision 1

YouTube

@namkyu · Aug 21, 2026, 10:10 AM

Added YouTube monetization, requirements, costs, equipment, and key platform rules.
+8,723−0
1# YouTube Channel
2
3A YouTube channel can earn through advertising, YouTube Premium, memberships, viewer payments, Shopping, sponsorships, affiliate links, and products or services.
4
5## Quick Facts
6
7
8| Item | Details |
9| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
10| Main revenue | Ads, Premium, memberships, sponsorships, affiliate/products |
11| Current ad-revenue threshold | 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months OR 10M qualified Shorts views in 90 days |
12| Watch-page ad share | Creator receives 55% of net revenue |
13| Shorts ad share | Creator receives 45% of allocated Creator Pool revenue |
14| Memberships / Supers share | Creator receives 70% of net revenue |
15| Major required equipment | A device capable of recording video; dedicated camera is not required |
16| Editing | Free and paid options available |
17
18
19YouTube has announced higher advertising/Premium entry thresholds for **February 1, 2027**: 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days or 20M qualified Shorts views in 90 days.
20
21## Minimum Entry Setup
22
23A dedicated camera is not necessary to start. Beginner equipment guides commonly recommend starting with a recent smartphone before buying a separate camera.
24
25
26| Requirement | Minimum option | Cost | Priority | Notes |
27| ---------------- | ------------------------- | -------------: | ----------- | ------------------------------------------- |
28| Camera | Existing smartphone | $0 additional | Essential | Dedicated camera not required |
29| Editing | DaVinci Resolve | Free | Essential | Full desktop editor |
30| Thumbnail/design | Canva Free | Free | Recommended | Useful for thumbnails |
31| Microphone | Built-in phone microphone | $0 additional | Optional | Upgrade when audio quality becomes limiting |
32| Lighting | Available natural light | $0 additional | Optional | Dedicated lighting can be added later |
33
34
35For someone who already owns a compatible smartphone and computer, the basic recording and editing workflow can therefore begin without purchasing a dedicated camera.
36
37## How It Makes Money
38
39**Advertising:** YouTube shares advertising revenue with eligible YPP creators. Watch-page ads pay creators **55% of net advertising revenue**.
40
41**Shorts:** Shorts Feed advertising uses the Creator Pool system. Creators receive **45% of the revenue allocated to them**.
42
43**Memberships and viewer payments:** Channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks pay creators **70% of net revenue** under YouTube's Commerce Product Module.
44
45Channels can also earn outside YouTube's standard revenue-sharing system through sponsorships, affiliate links, merchandise, services, courses, software and other products.
46
47## Equipment
48
49Do not buy a dedicated camera simply because you are starting a YouTube channel. Smartphone-based setups are widely used as beginner configurations, while dedicated cameras are upgrades for workflows that benefit from better optics, interchangeable lenses or more production control.
50
51Typical purchase order:
52
53
54| Priority | Equipment | When to buy |
55| -------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
56| Essential | Existing smartphone/camera | Start here |
57| Recommended | Tripod | When filming yourself regularly |
58| Recommended | External microphone | When speech/audio quality matters |
59| Optional | Video light | When natural/room lighting is insufficient |
60| Upgrade | Dedicated camera | When smartphone limitations affect production |
61| Professional upgrade | Additional lenses/audio/lighting | For more demanding production workflows |
62
63
64## Software & Tools
65
66
67| Tool | Type | Free option | Level | Difficulty | Main use |
68| --------------- | ------------- | ----------- | ------------------------- | ---------- | ----------------------------- |
69| DaVinci Resolve | Video editing | Yes | Beginner–Professional | Moderate | Editing, audio, color |
70| CapCut | Video editing | Yes | Beginner | Easy | Fast editing and Shorts |
71| Canva | Design | Yes | Beginner | Easy | Thumbnails and graphics |
72| Adobe Premiere | Video editing | No | Intermediate–Professional | Moderate | Professional editing workflow |
73
74
75A beginner does not need paid editing software to publish videos.
76
77## Requirements
78
79For current full advertising and YouTube Premium revenue sharing, a new creator needs:
80
81- **1,000 subscribers**, and
82- **4,000 qualified public watch hours during the previous 12 months**, or
83- **10 million qualified Shorts views during the previous 90 days**.
84
85The channel must also follow YouTube monetization policies, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, use Google Account 2-Step Verification, have advanced features access, and connect an AdSense for YouTube account.
86
87Reaching the numerical threshold does not automatically guarantee approval; YouTube reviews the channel.
88
89### Earlier YPP Access
90
91In eligible regions, some monetization features become available earlier at:
92
93- **500 subscribers**
94- **3 public uploads in 90 days**
95- **3,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days OR 3M qualified Shorts views in 90 days**
96
97This can provide access to eligible fan-funding and Shopping features before full advertising eligibility.
98
99## Key Numbers
100
101
102| Metric | Current rule |
103| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------: |
104| Full YPP subscribers | 1,000 |
105| Long-form watch threshold | 4,000 hours / 12 months |
106| Shorts threshold | 10M views / 90 days |
107| Watch-page ad creator share | 55% |
108| Shorts creator share | 45% of allocated revenue |
109| Memberships / Supers creator share | 70% of net revenue |
110
111
112### February 2027 Change
113
114For new applicants from **February 1, 2027**:
115
116
117| Metric | New threshold |
118| ---------------------- | ----------------: |
119| Subscribers | 1,000 |
120| Qualified watch hours | 8,000 / 365 days |
121| Qualified Shorts views | 20M / 90 days |
122
123
124Creators already in YPP are not removed simply because they do not meet these new entry thresholds.
125
126## Risks / Things to Know
127
128**Platform dependency:** Monetization depends on YouTube's eligibility and content policies.
129
130**Copyright:** Music, footage and other copyrighted material can trigger claims or prevent normal monetization.
131
132**Revenue is not fixed per view:** YouTube does not guarantee a particular payment amount. A universal "$X per 1,000 views" should not be treated as an official payout rate.
133
134**Equipment overspending:** A dedicated camera, expensive lighting and professional editing software are not prerequisites for starting. Upgrade when the existing setup creates an identifiable limitation.
135
136## Sources
137
138**YouTube Help — YouTube Partner Program overview & eligibility**
139Current YPP requirements and application rules.
140[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851)
141
142**YouTube Help — YouTube partner earnings overview**
143Official revenue shares for advertising, Shorts and fan funding.
144[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902)
145
146**YouTube Help — Changes to the YouTube Partner Program**
147February 2027 YPP threshold changes.
148[https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12843009](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12843009)