If you’re a content creator and you’re especially fond of Shorts on YouTube, you could start making more money next year. Whether we will be so happy about that is a second, as there is a good chance of more ads, like on TikTok.
We grant everyone their kink if one makes cool content. And so it’s cool that YouTube is also letting videographers specializing in Shorts earn more revenue with the Partner Program.
YouTube versus TikTok with Shorts
YouTube’s move is very reminiscent of the reward system that TikTok has. To make money directly on that platform, you can sign up for the Creator Fund. For that, you need at least 10,000 followers and more than 100,000 views in the past 30 days. You must also be 18 years of age or older.
With YouTube, you need to have at least 1,000 followers and score more than 10 million views in a ninety-day period. After that, you can simply sign up for the Partner Program.
Bring on that adblocker again
Don’t get us wrong: unique content creators should be able to make ends meet with their creations. But that hopefully won’t come at the expense of our enjoyment of the platform. In fact, YouTube began testing ads between Shorts (just like TikTok) in September. Part of its revenue will be shared among content creators.
The worrisome thing about those ads, however, is the potential frequency. While nothing is strictly known about that yet, it does worry us. In fact, YouTube has also already indicated it is experimenting with more ads. So far, two is the maximum prior to a (normal) video on YouTube.
And it could be much worse, however. In fact, the video platform is currently testing what it’s like to show even more ads. That could be 5, 8 or even 10, reports Ghacks. Soon, if you get an ad after just about every Short, you’re going to go nuts.
What do Shorts get you?
What exact amounts content creators get paid next, and whether they are comparable to TikTok, depends on many factors such as frequency, length of videos, topics and location.
For now, YouTube has an allocated fund for Shorts creators of $100 million. But that’s not enough, according to some creatives. They complain that that pot is too small and that competitors get paid out more because of, say, longer videos.
However, the video service is also introducing another form of revenue: “Fan Funding. Here the entry threshold is lower because a content creator calls on his/her fan base to contribute to the channel with ‘Super Thanks,’ ‘Super Chat,’ and things like stickers and memberships (potentially similar to Twitch, for example).
So on the one hand, good news for creators of Shorts. On the other hand, viewers may be going horny with these moves.