YouTube will start showing ads on all videos regardless of monetisation

YouTube
(Image credit: YouTube)

On November 18, YouTube updated its terms of service. The update is short, but it contains one crucial change that may fly under a lot of radars because let's face it, who reads the terms of service. Under the second point, the terms read: "ads can now appear on videos from channels not in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), and we will begin gradually placing ads on brand safe videos."

This means that unlike before, when only videos monetised by their creators would display ads, YouTube will now show ads ahead of a video regardless of whether its creator is a YouTube partner or not. This doesn't only shove more potentially annoying ads your way, it also strips YouTubers of the decision whether or not to show an ad in the first place—creators who make money via Patreon instead of relying on the notoriously finicky YouTube ad revenue often make it a point to disable ads for their viewers as thanks for their support.

"This is part of our ongoing investments in new solutions, like Home Feed ads, that help advertisers responsibly tap into the full scale of YouTube to connect with their audiences and grow their businesses," the update reads. As before, creators can apply to become partners if they meet YouTube's partner program eligibility criteria, such as an accumulated 4,000 public watch hours over 12 months and a 1000+ subscriber count.

The changes are currently being rolled out for US channels, while the terms of service will apply in all other territories from mid-2021. 

TOPICS
Latest in Platforms
A screenshot from game Mudborne of a little humanoid frog in a marsh
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 24, 2025)
midnight murder club
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 17, 2025)
Screenshot of Children of Clay showing a mysterious clay model
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 10, 2025)
discord
Brace yourself for Discord to get worse: Reports swirl that the company is in talks with bankers about opening itself up to shareholders
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.
Steam users react ecstatically to update that lets them access their heaving game notes via the web, also it fixes Monster Hunter Wilds video recording
HasanAbi
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker suspended after saying Republicans would 'kill Rick Scott' if they really cared about Medicare fraud
Latest in News
gta 6 trailer
Publishers 'don't want to be anywhere near' Grand Theft Auto 6 when it launches: 'It's proving to be very stressful'
A female Zoi making two hearts with her fingers.
Following 24 hours of Denuvo-based backlash, Inzoi is taking a surprising step and removing it entirely: 'We want to sincerely apologise for not aligning more closely with player expectations'
An image of a Helldiver from Helldivers 2 shooting at a red dragon from Dungeons & Dragons.
'Ok, so dragon builds are a thing now': galaxy-brained Helldivers 2 player incinerates a bile titan with a hover pack and a flamethrower
An ancient, angry stone mech from No Man's Sky's new Relics update
No Man’s Sky lets you unearth ancient, angry mechs in the astro-archaeology filled Relics update
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses