KANSAS CITY, Mo. — YouTube is changing its rules and that's affecting thousands who make money from the videos they post to their YouTube channels.
YouTube is a source of information and entertainment for more than a billion people worldwide.
It's also a stream of income for members of YouTube's Partner Program, including hip-hop artist Cole DeRuse.
"I go to YouTube for everything. I actually have YouTube Red. So it's ad-free." said DeRuse
Starting on Feb. 20, YouTube channels with fewer than 1,000 subscribers and less than 4,000 watched hours within the past 12 months will no longer earn money. DeRuse will be among the content creators who will lose money.
YouTube outlined its changes below:
On February 20th, 2018, channels with fewer than 1,000 subs or 4,000 watch hours will no longer be able to earn money on YouTube. When they reach 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours they will be automatically re-evaluated under strict criteria to ensure they comply with our policies. New channels will need to apply, and their application will be evaluated when they hit these milestones.
Though these changes will affect a significant number of channels, 99% of those affected were making less than $100 per year in the last year, with 90% earning less than $2.50 in the last month.
After thoughtful consideration, we believe these are necessary compromises to protect our community.
Cole DeRuse is a local hip-hop artist who's now motivated to increase his subscriptions and viewership.
"Some people are going to be discouraged. To me its a motivator, it's like ok, I need to up my game. I need to keep making content," said DeRuse.
Click herefor a more on YouTube's new rules.
