Creator Economy
Sharing more with creators, artists and media companies means that they can share more with others. See how our revenue-sharing model has enabled a thriving ecosystem of more than three million people earning through YouTube.
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Creator Economy
In 2007, YouTube had a radical idea: what if creators earned a real share of the value that they create? By sharing more than half of the advertising and subscription revenue directly with creators, artists and media companies, YouTube broke down traditional barriers to entry. This gave anyone the chance to build a business and a brand by turning what they love into creative output that generates income.
A portion of the remaining revenue is continuously reinvested back into YouTube, ensuring that creators always have quality production, distribution and monetisation tools at their fingertips.
Twenty years on, YouTube's unique revenue-sharing model remains unmatched and has given rise to an entirely new ecosystem of creative businesses.
Revenue flows into the YouTube platform and our audience of 2B viewers from advertisers and subscription businesses.
55% goes directly to creators, artists and media companies through the YouTube Partner Programme – and has a ripple effect on the broader economy.
A significant portion of the other 45% is then reinvested back into the business to keep YouTube operating at the highest level.
The YouTube Partner Programme is how creators, artists and media companies earn on the platform.
Once a creator hits 500 subscribers, they are eligible to apply for the YouTube Partner Programme. Once accepted into the programme and at 1,000 subscribers, creators unlock ad revenue and start earning 55% of the ads shown on their videos + YouTube Premium subscriptions.
There are also eight other ways* for creators, artists and media companies to monetise on YouTube – based on what's right for their business and audience.
The output is a thriving ecosystem of
3M+ people earning through YouTube
Our business model fuels a thriving creator ecosystem on a global and local level, turning creativity into substantial revenue through advertising, subscriptions and more.
Globally, of the YouTube Partner Programme channels that earned five figures or more (USD) on YouTube in 2024, over 50% earned revenue from sources other than ads and YouTube Premium.
Source: YouTube internal data, Jan–Dec 2024
Protecting creators' earnings
To ensure that we protect this thriving creator ecosystem, we have a set of monetisation policies that each member of the YouTube Partner Programme is required to follow.
