Premier Video Breakdown: FIFA Analysis Graphs

Top Insights into 2018 FIFA Football Videos On YouTube [Infographic]

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is over for another four years and the grand finale of this tournament was really outstanding, and France won the World Cup for the second time after overcoming Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling final in Moscow. While the entire world is anxiously about the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the football videos on YouTube are booming. In fact, the football-related searches on this platform have been soaring in the months leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite the fact that some of the most popular football clubs in the world are still ignoring how powerful YouTube has become.

We have produced the infographic below which clearly shows how popular football videos are on YouTube, so let’s have a look at some of the mind-blowing facts we’ve discovered.

Football Content Has Never Been More Popular on YouTube

The football gods, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr are making enormous amounts of money, in addition to having an iconic status in the mass media. Such state of affairs explains why YouTube videos with these superstars saw an 80% increase in watch time over the course of the last year.

Interestingly, the highest amount of football-related searches on the world’s largest video sharing platform are coming from the South American and European countries. For example, France’s young star Kylian Mbappé is a popular search in his home country, while videos of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar are popular searches around the globe.

The number of YouTube users who are watching the game highlights has doubled over the course of the last two years, while the number of match recap viewers has increased 9 times since the last World Cup in 2014. The live streaming content related to football is also gaining momentum, although it still isn’t nearly as popular as the Trick Shot videos or Drills and Skills videos that saw a 6x increase in watch time in the last four years.

Furthermore, some of the most viewed videos on YouTube are football related, since Shakira’s Waka Waka, the official 2010 World Cup song currently has 1.9 billion views. These statistics show how big the football audience on YouTube really is, and that brands and independent entrepreneurs have much to gain by including football related content on their YouTube channels.

Music videos related to previous World Cups have attracted 12% of women more than the videos that show footage of the Euro Cup, which clearly demonstrates that large audiences can be reached if the video doesn’t include the actual gameplay.

As a matter of fact, football audiences are also largely attracted to gaming content, entertainment, and music videos since as much as 18% of the football audience frequently watches entertainment videos.

Are Sports the Next Big Thing On YouTube?

At the moment, sports videos are growing faster than any other genre of videos you can find on YouTube, including entertainment or music, while the branded partnerships in this niche are growing 111% faster than all of the sports videos combined. The window of opportunity is clear for all brands that support sports activities.

Furthermore, brand ads for corporate giants such as Nike, Gatorade or Addidas attracted millions of views, which means that the leading brands in the world of sports have recognized YouTube as a marketplace they can no longer ignore. Brands that want to gain more recognition on the international market can seize this opportunity to team up with influencers on YouTube to present and broaden the reach of their products.

Besides soccer that is currently dominating the largest video sharing platform in the world, basketball, extreme sports and winter sports also provide access to huge audiences and show promising signs that they can help brands and influencers generate more revenue. Popular YouTubers should try to include more sports-related videos on their channels because it might help them attract new followers and secure a foothold in a rapidly growing market.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is over for another four years and the grand finale of this tournament was really outstanding, and France won the World Cup for the second time after overcoming Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling final in Moscow. While the entire world is anxiously about the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the football videos on YouTube are booming. In fact, the football-related searches on this platform have been soaring in the months leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite the fact that some of the most popular football clubs in the world are still ignoring how powerful YouTube has become.

We have produced the infographic below which clearly shows how popular football videos are on YouTube, so let’s have a look at some of the mind-blowing facts we’ve discovered.

Football Content Has Never Been More Popular on YouTube

The football gods, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr are making enormous amounts of money, in addition to having an iconic status in the mass media. Such state of affairs explains why YouTube videos with these superstars saw an 80% increase in watch time over the course of the last year.

Interestingly, the highest amount of football-related searches on the world’s largest video sharing platform are coming from the South American and European countries. For example, France’s young star Kylian Mbappé is a popular search in his home country, while videos of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar are popular searches around the globe.

The number of YouTube users who are watching the game highlights has doubled over the course of the last two years, while the number of match recap viewers has increased 9 times since the last World Cup in 2014. The live streaming content related to football is also gaining momentum, although it still isn’t nearly as popular as the Trick Shot videos or Drills and Skills videos that saw a 6x increase in watch time in the last four years.

Furthermore, some of the most viewed videos on YouTube are football related, since Shakira’s Waka Waka, the official 2010 World Cup song currently has 1.9 billion views. These statistics show how big the football audience on YouTube really is, and that brands and independent entrepreneurs have much to gain by including football related content on their YouTube channels.

Music videos related to previous World Cups have attracted 12% of women more than the videos that show footage of the Euro Cup, which clearly demonstrates that large audiences can be reached if the video doesn’t include the actual gameplay.

As a matter of fact, football audiences are also largely attracted to gaming content, entertainment, and music videos since as much as 18% of the football audience frequently watches entertainment videos.

Are Sports the Next Big Thing On YouTube?

At the moment, sports videos are growing faster than any other genre of videos you can find on YouTube, including entertainment or music, while the branded partnerships in this niche are growing 111% faster than all of the sports videos combined. The window of opportunity is clear for all brands that support sports activities.

Furthermore, brand ads for corporate giants such as Nike, Gatorade or Addidas attracted millions of views, which means that the leading brands in the world of sports have recognized YouTube as a marketplace they can no longer ignore. Brands that want to gain more recognition on the international market can seize this opportunity to team up with influencers on YouTube to present and broaden the reach of their products.

Besides soccer that is currently dominating the largest video sharing platform in the world, basketball, extreme sports and winter sports also provide access to huge audiences and show promising signs that they can help brands and influencers generate more revenue. Popular YouTubers should try to include more sports-related videos on their channels because it might help them attract new followers and secure a foothold in a rapidly growing market.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is over for another four years and the grand finale of this tournament was really outstanding, and France won the World Cup for the second time after overcoming Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling final in Moscow. While the entire world is anxiously about the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the football videos on YouTube are booming. In fact, the football-related searches on this platform have been soaring in the months leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite the fact that some of the most popular football clubs in the world are still ignoring how powerful YouTube has become.

We have produced the infographic below which clearly shows how popular football videos are on YouTube, so let’s have a look at some of the mind-blowing facts we’ve discovered.

Football Content Has Never Been More Popular on YouTube

The football gods, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr are making enormous amounts of money, in addition to having an iconic status in the mass media. Such state of affairs explains why YouTube videos with these superstars saw an 80% increase in watch time over the course of the last year.

Interestingly, the highest amount of football-related searches on the world’s largest video sharing platform are coming from the South American and European countries. For example, France’s young star Kylian Mbappé is a popular search in his home country, while videos of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar are popular searches around the globe.

The number of YouTube users who are watching the game highlights has doubled over the course of the last two years, while the number of match recap viewers has increased 9 times since the last World Cup in 2014. The live streaming content related to football is also gaining momentum, although it still isn’t nearly as popular as the Trick Shot videos or Drills and Skills videos that saw a 6x increase in watch time in the last four years.

Furthermore, some of the most viewed videos on YouTube are football related, since Shakira’s Waka Waka, the official 2010 World Cup song currently has 1.9 billion views. These statistics show how big the football audience on YouTube really is, and that brands and independent entrepreneurs have much to gain by including football related content on their YouTube channels.

Music videos related to previous World Cups have attracted 12% of women more than the videos that show footage of the Euro Cup, which clearly demonstrates that large audiences can be reached if the video doesn’t include the actual gameplay.

As a matter of fact, football audiences are also largely attracted to gaming content, entertainment, and music videos since as much as 18% of the football audience frequently watches entertainment videos.

Are Sports the Next Big Thing On YouTube?

At the moment, sports videos are growing faster than any other genre of videos you can find on YouTube, including entertainment or music, while the branded partnerships in this niche are growing 111% faster than all of the sports videos combined. The window of opportunity is clear for all brands that support sports activities.

Furthermore, brand ads for corporate giants such as Nike, Gatorade or Addidas attracted millions of views, which means that the leading brands in the world of sports have recognized YouTube as a marketplace they can no longer ignore. Brands that want to gain more recognition on the international market can seize this opportunity to team up with influencers on YouTube to present and broaden the reach of their products.

Besides soccer that is currently dominating the largest video sharing platform in the world, basketball, extreme sports and winter sports also provide access to huge audiences and show promising signs that they can help brands and influencers generate more revenue. Popular YouTubers should try to include more sports-related videos on their channels because it might help them attract new followers and secure a foothold in a rapidly growing market.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is over for another four years and the grand finale of this tournament was really outstanding, and France won the World Cup for the second time after overcoming Croatia 4-2 in a thrilling final in Moscow. While the entire world is anxiously about the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the football videos on YouTube are booming. In fact, the football-related searches on this platform have been soaring in the months leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, despite the fact that some of the most popular football clubs in the world are still ignoring how powerful YouTube has become.

We have produced the infographic below which clearly shows how popular football videos are on YouTube, so let’s have a look at some of the mind-blowing facts we’ve discovered.

Football Content Has Never Been More Popular on YouTube

The football gods, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Neymar Jr are making enormous amounts of money, in addition to having an iconic status in the mass media. Such state of affairs explains why YouTube videos with these superstars saw an 80% increase in watch time over the course of the last year.

Interestingly, the highest amount of football-related searches on the world’s largest video sharing platform are coming from the South American and European countries. For example, France’s young star Kylian Mbappé is a popular search in his home country, while videos of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar are popular searches around the globe.

The number of YouTube users who are watching the game highlights has doubled over the course of the last two years, while the number of match recap viewers has increased 9 times since the last World Cup in 2014. The live streaming content related to football is also gaining momentum, although it still isn’t nearly as popular as the Trick Shot videos or Drills and Skills videos that saw a 6x increase in watch time in the last four years.

Furthermore, some of the most viewed videos on YouTube are football related, since Shakira’s Waka Waka, the official 2010 World Cup song currently has 1.9 billion views. These statistics show how big the football audience on YouTube really is, and that brands and independent entrepreneurs have much to gain by including football related content on their YouTube channels.

Music videos related to previous World Cups have attracted 12% of women more than the videos that show footage of the Euro Cup, which clearly demonstrates that large audiences can be reached if the video doesn’t include the actual gameplay.

As a matter of fact, football audiences are also largely attracted to gaming content, entertainment, and music videos since as much as 18% of the football audience frequently watches entertainment videos.

Are Sports the Next Big Thing On YouTube?

At the moment, sports videos are growing faster than any other genre of videos you can find on YouTube, including entertainment or music, while the branded partnerships in this niche are growing 111% faster than all of the sports videos combined. The window of opportunity is clear for all brands that support sports activities.

Furthermore, brand ads for corporate giants such as Nike, Gatorade or Addidas attracted millions of views, which means that the leading brands in the world of sports have recognized YouTube as a marketplace they can no longer ignore. Brands that want to gain more recognition on the international market can seize this opportunity to team up with influencers on YouTube to present and broaden the reach of their products.

Besides soccer that is currently dominating the largest video sharing platform in the world, basketball, extreme sports and winter sports also provide access to huge audiences and show promising signs that they can help brands and influencers generate more revenue. Popular YouTubers should try to include more sports-related videos on their channels because it might help them attract new followers and secure a foothold in a rapidly growing market.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Creators Vs. YouTube’s Profit Policies

YouTube Monetization: The New Rules Everyone Hates

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

YouTube changed its monetization policy and, once again, there are new monetization rules. Last year, in the wake of the ‘adpocalypse’ (click here for coverage on that ), they imposed a new milestone of 10,000-lifetime views which a channel would have to meet before applying for monetization. As of February 20, 2018, YouTube will be introducing 2 more obstacles to monetizing your videos.

1. The New Monetization Rules
2. Why YouTube Changed The Monetization Rules
3. How Do The Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels
4. Join the Conversation
5. Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time
6. Helpful Blog Posts
7. Don’t Give Up!

The New Monetization Rules

In order to qualify for YouTube monetization, you must meet these milestones.

1. You will need to have 1,000 subscribers.
2. You will need to have accumulated 4,000 hours of watch time over the last 12 months.

You can read the full announcement here.

Trying to get monetization on YouTube can feel like this.

Why YouTube Changed the Monetization Rules

YouTube’s reasoning for these changes is essentially the same as they gave for the 10,000 views milestone: having higher standards will help them prevent inappropriate or stolen content from being monetized. They also point out that the majority of channels affected will not have been making any significant money anyways (less than $2.50 per month, in most cases).

How Do the Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels

However, even if the immediate financial impact won’t be that financially significant, it is untrue to say these new rules will not affect YouTubers with smaller channels. Having to plan to achieve and maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time and 1,000 subs could have a major impact on how creators plan their content. Will you feel pressured to abandon content that you and your existing viewers love in favor of making videos that will get you to those milestones faster?

That will be a question facing a lot of smaller YouTubers, especially those who have already reached 1,000 subscribers and are now in a situation where they have to maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time. You won’t be cut off from monetization automatically if you fall from 4,000 hours to 3,500 hours one month (after already having monetized your channel), but YouTube may review your channel and remove monetization if time passes and you still haven’t gotten back up to 4,000 hours.

These new rules could also put niche channels at a disadvantage. Niche channels may have devoted followers who keep their watch time up, but getting to 1,000 subscribers could be harder for them purely because their potential audience is already smaller.

Join The Conversation

There have been b reactions to this news in our forums here on filmora.io, the majority of them negative. Although the perspective that these kinds of measures are necessary as YouTube becomes more and more crowded has also been represented, the majority of people who have weighed in find these changes unreasonable. If you haven’t yet, make sure to head over to the forums and join the conversation .

It probably doesn’t help that none of the regulations being put in place to stop smaller channels who might be ‘bad actors’ (YouTube uses the term several times in their announcement) will affect gigantic channels whose creators may already be behaving in wildly inappropriate (and not at all ad friendly) ways.

Cough. Logan Paul. Cough.

Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time

1. Sorting your videos into playlists encourages viewers to spend a lot more time on your channel.
2. Link your videos together using cards and interactive end screens/outros.
3. Basic video editing. Simple things like adding transition effects and cutting out long pauses will help keep viewers watching your videos for longer.

Helpful Blog Posts

How to Get People to Subscribe by Asking the Right Way

Understanding YouTube Analytics – Take Charge of Your Channel! (this one will teach you how to see which of your videos are doing best for watch time!)

How to Edit a YouTube Video and Get More Subscribers

Don’t Give Up

I risk sounding cheesy here, but I hope nobody gives up on their dreams as creators over something like this. Wanting to be paid for doing what you love is only natural, and you can still get there (YouTube monetization isn’t even the only way). There may even be better opportunities to generate revenue when you do. In the long run, this could be a good thing for YouTube. Nobody can really know yet.

How do you get subscribers, or increase your watch time? If you have any tips, share them with everyone! Also, make sure to let us know if there are any blog topics that might help you out with YouTube’s new monetization rules.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

YouTube changed its monetization policy and, once again, there are new monetization rules. Last year, in the wake of the ‘adpocalypse’ (click here for coverage on that ), they imposed a new milestone of 10,000-lifetime views which a channel would have to meet before applying for monetization. As of February 20, 2018, YouTube will be introducing 2 more obstacles to monetizing your videos.

1. The New Monetization Rules
2. Why YouTube Changed The Monetization Rules
3. How Do The Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels
4. Join the Conversation
5. Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time
6. Helpful Blog Posts
7. Don’t Give Up!

The New Monetization Rules

In order to qualify for YouTube monetization, you must meet these milestones.

1. You will need to have 1,000 subscribers.
2. You will need to have accumulated 4,000 hours of watch time over the last 12 months.

You can read the full announcement here.

Trying to get monetization on YouTube can feel like this.

Why YouTube Changed the Monetization Rules

YouTube’s reasoning for these changes is essentially the same as they gave for the 10,000 views milestone: having higher standards will help them prevent inappropriate or stolen content from being monetized. They also point out that the majority of channels affected will not have been making any significant money anyways (less than $2.50 per month, in most cases).

How Do the Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels

However, even if the immediate financial impact won’t be that financially significant, it is untrue to say these new rules will not affect YouTubers with smaller channels. Having to plan to achieve and maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time and 1,000 subs could have a major impact on how creators plan their content. Will you feel pressured to abandon content that you and your existing viewers love in favor of making videos that will get you to those milestones faster?

That will be a question facing a lot of smaller YouTubers, especially those who have already reached 1,000 subscribers and are now in a situation where they have to maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time. You won’t be cut off from monetization automatically if you fall from 4,000 hours to 3,500 hours one month (after already having monetized your channel), but YouTube may review your channel and remove monetization if time passes and you still haven’t gotten back up to 4,000 hours.

These new rules could also put niche channels at a disadvantage. Niche channels may have devoted followers who keep their watch time up, but getting to 1,000 subscribers could be harder for them purely because their potential audience is already smaller.

Join The Conversation

There have been b reactions to this news in our forums here on filmora.io, the majority of them negative. Although the perspective that these kinds of measures are necessary as YouTube becomes more and more crowded has also been represented, the majority of people who have weighed in find these changes unreasonable. If you haven’t yet, make sure to head over to the forums and join the conversation .

It probably doesn’t help that none of the regulations being put in place to stop smaller channels who might be ‘bad actors’ (YouTube uses the term several times in their announcement) will affect gigantic channels whose creators may already be behaving in wildly inappropriate (and not at all ad friendly) ways.

Cough. Logan Paul. Cough.

Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time

1. Sorting your videos into playlists encourages viewers to spend a lot more time on your channel.
2. Link your videos together using cards and interactive end screens/outros.
3. Basic video editing. Simple things like adding transition effects and cutting out long pauses will help keep viewers watching your videos for longer.

Helpful Blog Posts

How to Get People to Subscribe by Asking the Right Way

Understanding YouTube Analytics – Take Charge of Your Channel! (this one will teach you how to see which of your videos are doing best for watch time!)

How to Edit a YouTube Video and Get More Subscribers

Don’t Give Up

I risk sounding cheesy here, but I hope nobody gives up on their dreams as creators over something like this. Wanting to be paid for doing what you love is only natural, and you can still get there (YouTube monetization isn’t even the only way). There may even be better opportunities to generate revenue when you do. In the long run, this could be a good thing for YouTube. Nobody can really know yet.

How do you get subscribers, or increase your watch time? If you have any tips, share them with everyone! Also, make sure to let us know if there are any blog topics that might help you out with YouTube’s new monetization rules.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

YouTube changed its monetization policy and, once again, there are new monetization rules. Last year, in the wake of the ‘adpocalypse’ (click here for coverage on that ), they imposed a new milestone of 10,000-lifetime views which a channel would have to meet before applying for monetization. As of February 20, 2018, YouTube will be introducing 2 more obstacles to monetizing your videos.

1. The New Monetization Rules
2. Why YouTube Changed The Monetization Rules
3. How Do The Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels
4. Join the Conversation
5. Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time
6. Helpful Blog Posts
7. Don’t Give Up!

The New Monetization Rules

In order to qualify for YouTube monetization, you must meet these milestones.

1. You will need to have 1,000 subscribers.
2. You will need to have accumulated 4,000 hours of watch time over the last 12 months.

You can read the full announcement here.

Trying to get monetization on YouTube can feel like this.

Why YouTube Changed the Monetization Rules

YouTube’s reasoning for these changes is essentially the same as they gave for the 10,000 views milestone: having higher standards will help them prevent inappropriate or stolen content from being monetized. They also point out that the majority of channels affected will not have been making any significant money anyways (less than $2.50 per month, in most cases).

How Do the Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels

However, even if the immediate financial impact won’t be that financially significant, it is untrue to say these new rules will not affect YouTubers with smaller channels. Having to plan to achieve and maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time and 1,000 subs could have a major impact on how creators plan their content. Will you feel pressured to abandon content that you and your existing viewers love in favor of making videos that will get you to those milestones faster?

That will be a question facing a lot of smaller YouTubers, especially those who have already reached 1,000 subscribers and are now in a situation where they have to maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time. You won’t be cut off from monetization automatically if you fall from 4,000 hours to 3,500 hours one month (after already having monetized your channel), but YouTube may review your channel and remove monetization if time passes and you still haven’t gotten back up to 4,000 hours.

These new rules could also put niche channels at a disadvantage. Niche channels may have devoted followers who keep their watch time up, but getting to 1,000 subscribers could be harder for them purely because their potential audience is already smaller.

Join The Conversation

There have been b reactions to this news in our forums here on filmora.io, the majority of them negative. Although the perspective that these kinds of measures are necessary as YouTube becomes more and more crowded has also been represented, the majority of people who have weighed in find these changes unreasonable. If you haven’t yet, make sure to head over to the forums and join the conversation .

It probably doesn’t help that none of the regulations being put in place to stop smaller channels who might be ‘bad actors’ (YouTube uses the term several times in their announcement) will affect gigantic channels whose creators may already be behaving in wildly inappropriate (and not at all ad friendly) ways.

Cough. Logan Paul. Cough.

Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time

1. Sorting your videos into playlists encourages viewers to spend a lot more time on your channel.
2. Link your videos together using cards and interactive end screens/outros.
3. Basic video editing. Simple things like adding transition effects and cutting out long pauses will help keep viewers watching your videos for longer.

Helpful Blog Posts

How to Get People to Subscribe by Asking the Right Way

Understanding YouTube Analytics – Take Charge of Your Channel! (this one will teach you how to see which of your videos are doing best for watch time!)

How to Edit a YouTube Video and Get More Subscribers

Don’t Give Up

I risk sounding cheesy here, but I hope nobody gives up on their dreams as creators over something like this. Wanting to be paid for doing what you love is only natural, and you can still get there (YouTube monetization isn’t even the only way). There may even be better opportunities to generate revenue when you do. In the long run, this could be a good thing for YouTube. Nobody can really know yet.

How do you get subscribers, or increase your watch time? If you have any tips, share them with everyone! Also, make sure to let us know if there are any blog topics that might help you out with YouTube’s new monetization rules.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

YouTube changed its monetization policy and, once again, there are new monetization rules. Last year, in the wake of the ‘adpocalypse’ (click here for coverage on that ), they imposed a new milestone of 10,000-lifetime views which a channel would have to meet before applying for monetization. As of February 20, 2018, YouTube will be introducing 2 more obstacles to monetizing your videos.

1. The New Monetization Rules
2. Why YouTube Changed The Monetization Rules
3. How Do The Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels
4. Join the Conversation
5. Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time
6. Helpful Blog Posts
7. Don’t Give Up!

The New Monetization Rules

In order to qualify for YouTube monetization, you must meet these milestones.

1. You will need to have 1,000 subscribers.
2. You will need to have accumulated 4,000 hours of watch time over the last 12 months.

You can read the full announcement here.

Trying to get monetization on YouTube can feel like this.

Why YouTube Changed the Monetization Rules

YouTube’s reasoning for these changes is essentially the same as they gave for the 10,000 views milestone: having higher standards will help them prevent inappropriate or stolen content from being monetized. They also point out that the majority of channels affected will not have been making any significant money anyways (less than $2.50 per month, in most cases).

How Do the Changes Affect Small YouTube Channels

However, even if the immediate financial impact won’t be that financially significant, it is untrue to say these new rules will not affect YouTubers with smaller channels. Having to plan to achieve and maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time and 1,000 subs could have a major impact on how creators plan their content. Will you feel pressured to abandon content that you and your existing viewers love in favor of making videos that will get you to those milestones faster?

That will be a question facing a lot of smaller YouTubers, especially those who have already reached 1,000 subscribers and are now in a situation where they have to maintain those 4,000 hours of watch time. You won’t be cut off from monetization automatically if you fall from 4,000 hours to 3,500 hours one month (after already having monetized your channel), but YouTube may review your channel and remove monetization if time passes and you still haven’t gotten back up to 4,000 hours.

These new rules could also put niche channels at a disadvantage. Niche channels may have devoted followers who keep their watch time up, but getting to 1,000 subscribers could be harder for them purely because their potential audience is already smaller.

Join The Conversation

There have been b reactions to this news in our forums here on filmora.io, the majority of them negative. Although the perspective that these kinds of measures are necessary as YouTube becomes more and more crowded has also been represented, the majority of people who have weighed in find these changes unreasonable. If you haven’t yet, make sure to head over to the forums and join the conversation .

It probably doesn’t help that none of the regulations being put in place to stop smaller channels who might be ‘bad actors’ (YouTube uses the term several times in their announcement) will affect gigantic channels whose creators may already be behaving in wildly inappropriate (and not at all ad friendly) ways.

Cough. Logan Paul. Cough.

Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time

1. Sorting your videos into playlists encourages viewers to spend a lot more time on your channel.
2. Link your videos together using cards and interactive end screens/outros.
3. Basic video editing. Simple things like adding transition effects and cutting out long pauses will help keep viewers watching your videos for longer.

Helpful Blog Posts

How to Get People to Subscribe by Asking the Right Way

Understanding YouTube Analytics – Take Charge of Your Channel! (this one will teach you how to see which of your videos are doing best for watch time!)

How to Edit a YouTube Video and Get More Subscribers

Don’t Give Up

I risk sounding cheesy here, but I hope nobody gives up on their dreams as creators over something like this. Wanting to be paid for doing what you love is only natural, and you can still get there (YouTube monetization isn’t even the only way). There may even be better opportunities to generate revenue when you do. In the long run, this could be a good thing for YouTube. Nobody can really know yet.

How do you get subscribers, or increase your watch time? If you have any tips, share them with everyone! Also, make sure to let us know if there are any blog topics that might help you out with YouTube’s new monetization rules.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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