YouTube has announced a major update to its monetisation policy, aiming to support genuine creators while cracking down on low-effort or copied content. Starting July 15, 2025, creators who upload repetitive, reused, or poorly made videos will be ineligible to earn revenue under the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
This update targets content that is plagiarised, spammy, or mass-produced, such as AI-generated slideshows, reaction mashups, and re-edited or repurposed videos from other creators. YouTube emphasizes that simply making slight tweaks to someone else’s work or uploading the same style of video repeatedly will no longer be tolerated for monetisation.
“YouTube is taking a firm stand against content plagiarising,” the platform stated, adding that only original, creative, and valuable content will qualify for monetisation moving forward.
To apply for monetisation, creators must still meet the existing thresholds of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past year, or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days. However, now originality of content will be reviewed before approval, regardless of subscriber count or watch time.
This change is part of YouTube’s broader effort to clean up the platform and encourage authentic content creation. The platform noted that many users were uploading low-quality or duplicated videos purely for profit, which negatively affected the community.
YouTube hopes this move will help “real creators” get the attention they deserve while discouraging the growing trend of click-chasing through stolen or automated content.
