YouTube's looser view counts come with a much tougher monetization bar
From August 24, YouTube counts a view the instant a video starts playing — aligning the big number with how TikTok and Instagram already measure. The catch lands early next year: creators need double the watch hours (8,000) and Shorts views (20M) to monetize, plus a rolling 10M-views-per-90-days floor to keep earning. Long-form creators largely win; slower Shorts producers lose revenue.