YouTube has made changes to its YouTube Partner Program, giving creators more options to earn money. The new modular structure allows YouTube to add new monetization opportunities in the future without requiring updates to the existing agreement.
To participate in the program, creators need to agree to the base terms which cover payment, content policies, country pass-throughs, and rights clearance adjustments.
Once creators accept the base terms, they can choose from three different monetization modules: Watch Page Monetization Module, Shorts Monetization Module, and Commerce Product Addendum.
Watch Page Monetization Module
The Watch Page Monetization Module is the standard set of terms that most creators will accept. It allows creators to earn money from ads served in long-form or live-streaming videos on the Watch Page or when embedded on other sites. Existing creators must also accept these terms to continue earning ad revenue.
Shorts Monetization Module
The Shorts Monetization Module is for creators who want to earn money from ads played between Shorts in the Shorts Feed and on YouTube Premium. The terms include guidelines for creating content suitable for ads, restrictions on unoriginal shorts and fake views, and more.
Commerce Product Addendum
The Commerce Product Addendum includes terms that creators must accept to unlock fan funding features such as channel memberships and chat perks like super chat and super stickers. These terms remain the same for live streamers who have already accepted them.
All creators must accept the base terms to join or remain in the YouTube Partner Program. After accepting the base terms, creators can choose which modules to participate in.
Creators have until Monday, July 10 to accept the base terms. If they fail to do so, their channel will be removed from the YouTube Partner Program and they will no longer be able to monetize their content unless they re-qualify and re-apply.
Creators can also opt in and out of specific modules at any time by contacting Creator Support.