YouTube

=== YouTuber earnings ===
[[File:2017- Top earners on YouTube - column chart.svg|thumb|upright=1.25| Total annual earnings of the top ten YouTuber accounts, and the income of the single highest-earning account.]]
In May 2007, YouTube launched its Partner Program (YPP), a system based on [[AdSense]] which allows the uploader of the video to share the revenue produced by advertising on the site.<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Biggs |title=YouTube Launches Revenue Sharing Partners Program, but no Pre-Rolls |url=https://techcrunch.com/2007/05/04/youtube-launches-revenue-sharing-partners-program-but-no-pre-rolls/ |website=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=May 4, 2007 |access-date=March 26, 2017}}</ref> YouTube typically takes 45 percent of the advertising revenue from videos in the Partner Program, with 55 percent going to the uploader.<ref>{{cite web |first=Tim |last=Carmody |title=It's not TV, it's the Web: YouTube partners complain about Google ads, revenue sharing |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/3/4/4062810/youtube-partners-complain-revenue-sharing-google-ads |website=[[The Verge]]  |date=March 4, 2013 |access-date=March 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The biggest stars on YouTube make huge incomes ... yet they can't keep the vast majority of it |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/money-youtube-stars-actually-make-2014-2 |website=Business Insider |access-date=September 16, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

There are over two million members of the YouTube Partner Program.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lyons |first=Kim |date=August 23, 2021 |title= YouTube says its Partner Program now has 2 million members|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/23/22636827/youtube-partner-program-2-million-members-creators|work=The Verge|access-date=October 23, 2023}}</ref> According to [[TubeMogul]], in 2013 a pre-roll advertisement on YouTube (one that is shown before the video starts) cost advertisers on average $7.60 per 1000 views. Usually, no more than half of the eligible videos have a pre-roll advertisement, due to a lack of interested advertisers.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |first=Leslie |last=Kaufman |title=Chasing Their Star, on YouTube |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/business/chasing-their-star-on-youtube.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=March 26, 2017 |id={{ProQuest|1943327539}}}}</ref>

YouTube's policies restrict certain forms of content from being included in videos being monetized with advertising, including videos containing violence, strong language, sexual content, "controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown" (unless the content is "usually newsworthy or comedic and the creator's intent is to inform or entertain"),<ref name="verge-advertiserfriendly">{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Adi |title=Why is YouTube being accused of censoring vloggers? |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12753108/youtube-is-over-party-advertising-monetization-censorship |access-date=March 19, 2017 |work=The Verge |date=September 1, 2016}}</ref> and videos whose user comments contain "inappropriate" content.<ref name="tubefilter-inappropriatecomments">{{cite web |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2019/02/22/youtube-videos-demonetized-inappropriate-comments/ |title=After Child Video Scandal, YouTube Says Ad-Friendly Videos Can Be Demonetized For Inappropriate Comments |date=February 22, 2019 |website=Tubefilter |access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref>

In 2013, YouTube introduced an option for channels with at least a thousand subscribers to require a paid subscription in order for viewers to watch videos.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCue |first1=TJ |title=Google's YouTube Introduces Paid Content Subscriptions |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/01/30/google-youtube-introduces-paid-content-subscriptions/ |website=Forbes |access-date=September 16, 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction to paid content – YouTube Help |url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3249127?hl=en |publisher=Google Inc. |access-date=September 16, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> In April 2017, YouTube set an eligibility requirement of 10,000 lifetime views for a paid subscription.<ref name ="ypp">{{cite web |title=Additional Changes to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to Better Protect Creators |url=https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/01/additional-changes-to-youtube-partner.html |via=YouTube |access-date=January 16, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> On January 16, 2018, the eligibility requirement for monetization was changed to 4,000 hours of watch-time within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers.<ref name ="ypp" /> The move was seen as an attempt to ensure that videos being monetized did not lead to controversy, but was criticized for penalizing smaller YouTube channels.<ref name="ypp_guardian">{{cite news |first=Sam |last=Levin |title=YouTube's small creators pay price of policy changes after Logan Paul scandal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/18/youtube-creators-vloggers-ads-logan-paul |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=January 18, 2018 |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref>

[[YouTube Play Button]]s, a part of the YouTube Creator Rewards, are a recognition by YouTube of its most popular channels.<ref>{{cite web |ref={{sfnRef|"YouTube Creator Rewards"|n.d.}} |url=https://www.youtube.com/yt/creators/rewards.html |title=YouTube Creator Rewards |via=YouTube |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> The trophies made of nickel plated copper-nickel alloy, golden plated brass, silver plated metal, ruby, and red tinted crystal glass are given to channels with at least one hundred thousand, a million, ten million, fifty million subscribers, and one hundred million subscribers, respectively.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=December 3, 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHA2HbNtcG4 |title=What is the Gold Play Button REALLY made of?!? |publisher=JerryRigEverything |via=YouTube |access-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317141729/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHA2HbNtcG4 |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=YouTube Sends PewDiePie Custom Ruby Play Button To Commemorate 50 Million Subscribers |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2016/12/19/pewdiepie-ruby-play-button-youtube-50-million-subscribers/ |website=Tubefilter |access-date=September 16, 2017 |date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

YouTube's policies on "[[Censorship by Google#Advertiser-friendly content|advertiser-friendly content]]" restrict what may be incorporated into videos being monetized; this includes strong violence, language,<ref name="Spangler Spangler 2019">{{cite news |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=January 14, 2019 |title=YouTube Explains Which Profanities and 'Inappropriate Language' Are Not OK for Ad-Supported Videos |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/yo'utube-profanity-ad-supported-video-demonetized-1203107619/ |access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref> sexual content, and "controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown", unless the content is "usually newsworthy or comedic and the creator's intent is to inform or entertain".<ref>{{cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=September 1, 2016 |title=Why is YouTube being accused of censoring vloggers? |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12753108/youtube-is-over-party-advertising-monetization-censorship |access-date=March 25, 2017 |website=[[The Verge]] }}</ref> In September 2016, after introducing an enhanced notification system to inform users of these violations, YouTube's policies were criticized by prominent users, including [[Phillip DeFranco]] and [[Vlogbrothers]]. DeFranco argued that not being able to earn advertising revenue on such videos was "censorship by a different name". A YouTube spokesperson stated that while the policy itself was not new, the service had "improved the notification and appeal process to ensure better communication to our creators".<ref>{{cite web |last=Guynn |first=Jessica |date=September 2, 2016 |title=YouTubers protest 'advertiser friendly' policy |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/09/01/youtube-creators-advertisers-controversy/89728728/ |access-date=March 26, 2017 |website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mulkerin |first=Tim |date=September 1, 2016 |title=A bunch of famous YouTubers are furious at YouTube right now – here's why |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-stars-advertiser-friendly-content-guidelines-2016-9 |access-date=March 25, 2017 |website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=E. Solsman |first=Joan |date=September 1, 2016 |title=Pause the #YouTubeIsOverParty: YouTube isn't pulling more ads from stars' videos |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/pause-the-youtubeisoverparty-youtube-isnt-pulling-more-ads-from-stars-videos/ |access-date=March 25, 2017 |publisher=[[CNET]] }}</ref> ''[[Boing Boing]]'' reported in 2019 that LGBT keywords resulted in demonetization.<ref name="Beschizza 2019">{{cite web |last=Beschizza |first=Rob |date=October 2, 2019 |title=YouTube demonetizing videos where LGBTQ keywords are said |url=https://boingboing.net/2019/10/02/youtube-demonetizing-videos-wh.html |access-date=January 4, 2020 |website=[[Boing Boing]]}}</ref>

As of November 2020 in the United States, and June 2021 worldwide,<ref>{{cite web |title=YouTube announces changes in its terms of services |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/business/youtube-announces-changes-in-its-terms-of-services/cid/1816154 |access-date=May 23, 2021 |website=The Telegraph (India)}}</ref> YouTube reserves the right to monetize any video on the platform, even if their uploader is not a member of the YouTube Partner Program. This will occur on channels whose content is deemed "advertiser-friendly", and all revenue will go directly to Google without any share given to the uploader.<ref>{{cite web |last=Graham |first=Megan |date=November 19, 2020 |title=YouTube will put ads on non-partner videos but won't pay the creators |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/youtube-will-put-ads-on-non-partner-videos-but-wont-pay-the-creators.html |access-date=May 23, 2021 |publisher=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>