YouTube adds ads, revenue sharing to Shorts videos
Chris McGrath

YouTube (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has confirmed it's bringing advertising (and revenue sharing) to its YouTube Shorts videos, the short-form rival to TikTok (BDNCE).
Reports last week suggested YouTube was about to get more aggressive on monetizing short-form video.
At Tuesday's "Made on YouTube" event, the company issued updates to its longstanding YouTube Partner Program that mark "the next chapter in rewarding creativity on our platform."
When the partner program began in 2007, YouTube had one creative format - the standard horizontal video - and ads were the main source of revenue, the company notes.
"Fast forward to today, creators are continually testing the boundaries of expression, from 15-second vertical Shorts, to 15-minute videos, to 15-hour live streams," YouTube says. "And theyâre building their businesses based on diversified revenue streams, from Fan Funding to brand sponsorships." There are 10 ways for partners to make money now, it said.
Starting in 2023, creators focused on Shorts can apply to the program by hitting a threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 10M Shorts views over 90 days. Meanwhile, a new level with lower requirements will offer earlier access to Fan Funding features like "Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Channel Memberships."
As for advertising on Shorts, ads run between videos on the feed, so every month, "revenue from these ads will be added together" and used to reward Shorts creators and cover music licensing costs.
Creators will keep 45% of the revenue, distributed based on their share of total Shorts views.
Meanwhile, a new destination in YouTube Studio gives creators easy access to a growing catalog of music for licensing in long-form videos.
YouTube Shorts are seeing 30B views per day from 1.5B viewers every month, Google says; CEO Sundar Pichai cites TikTok's rivalry as one reason that Google isn't monopolizing its markets, while noting YouTube Shorts is off to a "great start."