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2023 In Review: YouTube monetization expanded, channel redesign and more creator features

 


In 2023 YouTube expanded the YouTube Partner Program, simplified channel design, launched features for live streamers, and updated YouTube Studio and Analytics.

There were far too many new features to discuss here, so I’ll only cover my favorites.

Expansion of the YouTube Partner Program

The big update to the YouTube Partner Program was the creation of a Fan Funding tier with lower eligibility requirements.

Channels that meet the new eligibility requirements can apply to have access to Memberships, “Supers” (Super Chat, Super Thanks, Super Stickers) and YouTube Shopping.
  • at least 500 subscribers
  • 3 eligible video uploads in the past 90 days
  • at least either 3000 hours public watch time in the past year or 3 million Shorts views in the past 90 days
Once the channel meets the full YouTube Partner Program eligibility requirements (at least 1000 subscribers and either 4000 hours public watch time in the past year or 10 million Shorts views) it will be eligible for ad revenue sharing and YouTube Premium revenue.

Ad revenue sharing now also includes Shorts, and the Shorts bonus fund was retired.

Available ads have also been simplified. Overlay ads (which were desktop-only) were retired, and you can no longer choose whether your video has pre-roll or post-roll (skippable or non-skippable) ads. Ads are either on or off. You can still turn on or off mid-roll ads, and choose where they are inserted into your videos.

There were also updates to monetization policy and the application process, and you can find more data (including AdSense payments) in YouTube Studio.

YouTube Partner Program Updates and Tutorials

Updated YouTube Channel Layout

One of the big changes this year was the simplification of the YouTube channel layout, with more consistency between mobile and desktop versions.
  • Instead of showing a bunch of tabs on your channel, only those with content now show. For example, if you don’t upload Shorts, there’s no Shorts tab.
  • The About tab (with your channel’s description and links) was removed, and can only be viewed by clicking the short description preview under your channel name.
  • Visitors to your channel will now see a “For You” shelf, with personalized recommendations from your content. You can configure what shows there in your channel settings in YouTube Studio.
  • And your social media and website links no longer display on the channel banner on desktop. Instead there is a new links list that can be viewed from the link preview under your channel title.

More Creator Updates

There were a number of other updates for YouTube creators. Some of the top changes:
  • The official English-language YouTube Help Community was switched to read-only in February to clean it up. Users with questions were pointed to this FAQ, YouTube Creator Support (for channels eligible for the YouTube Partner Program) or @TeamYouTube on Twitter/X (which isn’t great for a number of reasons). The forum thankfully reopened at the beginning of December. You can post your question here.
  • Clickable links were removed from Shorts description and comments. This was a move against spammers and scammers, but it unfortunately isn’t great for legit creators who want to point their viewers to another website. You can add a related video link to a Short to direct viewers to a different video on your channel.
  • The new YouTube Create app makes it easy to edit video on your mobile device.
  • Add your preferred pronouns to your channel. You can configure that in the channel settings in YouTube Studio. I’ve added them to my channel.
  • If your channel is managed by multiple accounts using Channel Permissions, those managers and editors can now act as the channel on YouTube proper, outside of YouTube Studio. That includes uploading with the Shorts video editor, commenting on other channels’ videos, and managing playlists. Also new this year: managing channels in the YouTube Studio mobile app.
  • The YouTube Shopping program was expanded, with the affiliate program opened to monetizing channels with at least 20,000 subscribers. Promoted items are no longer shown directly under your video, but you can tag items in your content and live streams for product launches and promotion.
  • YouTube Stories were shut down in June. Did you notice?
  • You can now remove Community Guidelines warnings by going through policy training, and the warnings are now policy-specific.
  • Pause comments on your videos to prevent new comments while keeping existing comments visible.
  • If you turn off your YouTube watch History, you may no longer see recommended videos on the Home feed.
  • You can now create podcast shows by setting up a podcast playlist in YouTube Studio. Audio-first podcast creators can now deliver content to YouTube by submitting the podcast RSS feed.
  • There are more options to remix content into Shorts including Clips, original audio and video segments.
  • You can now manage Clips of your videos in YouTube Studio.
  • You can create Quiz posts on your Community tab. Check out my channel to see if you can get the quiz questions right!.
  • New metrics in the YouTube Studio app for Shorts, Podcasts and more.

Coming in 2024: A number of AI-powered tools are being tested and should be available soon. And YouTube has promised thumbnail A/B testing will be more widely available.

For live streaming channels:

More YouTube Creator Tutorials

More 2023 Updates

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