Alphabet-owned YouTube has garnered over two million creators as part of its money-making partner programme, and has paid more than $30 billion to creators and media companies over the last three years.
The YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) is an open monetisation initiative, which anyone who qualifies can join and start making money. YouTube places adverts in the videos developed by content creators, and the revenue is split between the two parties.
To qualify, creators need at least 1 000 subscribers and 4 000 hours of overall watch time on their channels in the past 12 months.
"Now, more than two million creators participate in YPP globally, including many who might not otherwise have had a platform, from tech reviewers to entertainers. And many of these creators are generating jobs and contributing to local and global economies,” said Neal Mohan, chief product officer at YouTube, in a blog post.
According to insights from the SA Social Media Landscape Report 2021, YouTube saw one of the biggest growth rates for an established social media platform over the past year. YouTube now has 24 million users in SA.
The video-sharing social network says it has integrated 10 different monetisation features on its platform, from advertiser revenue, to selling merchandise, allowing YPP creators to make money and earn a living from their content.
The company’s new ‘Checks' process automatically screens creators' uploads for potential copyright claims and advert suitability restrictions.
The number of new channels joining YPP in 2020 more than doubled when compared to the previous year.
"As a result, we've seen our focus on responsibility benefit creators and our overall business. In Q2 2021, revenue from YouTube adverts crossed $7 billion and we paid more to YouTube creators and partners than in any quarter in our history," noted Mohan.
Earlier this year, YouTube announced its inaugural class of African content creators who are set to receive a grant for the development of their channels from the global #YouTubeBlackVoices Fund.
Eight South Africans were among the 20 selected Africans who received their share of the $100 million fund, which offers support to black artists and content creators over the next three years, to enable them to promote their work on YouTube.
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