YouTube launches its $100 million fund for Shorts in India and more countries

• YouTube creators will be able to earn anywhere between $100 and $10,000 for their Shorts.
• The payout will be based on the number of views and engagement on Shorts.
• Only original content will be eligible for the YouTube Shorts fund. Reuploaded content, and those with watermark will not be eligible.

YouTube is giving creators another way to monetise their content through its TikTok-rival, Shorts. YouTube has launched a $100 million fund for Shorts from which creators can earn between $100 (₹7,400 approx) and $10,000 (₹7,41,700 approx).

The payout will be based on the number of views creators get on their Shorts, and also the engagement. The YouTube Shorts fund will be available starting this month in select countries including India, Brazil, Japan, Russia, the UK, the US, South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia and Mexico.

YouTube Shorts eligibility criteria

YouTube has outlined certain criteria to be eligible for monetising their Shorts.

There should be at least one eligible Short uploaded in the last 180 days. The videos should not have watermarks or logos from other social media platforms. YouTube will also not consider non-original content, and videos reuploaded from other creator’s channels.

YouTube hasn’t specified the number of views required to qualify for the Shorts fund. The company itself will reach out to the creators who can get a piece of the pie. The YouTube Shorts fund is also open to all channels including those that currently do not monetise their content.

Lastly, creators must be 13 years or older in the US, or the age of majority in their respective countries.

The YouTube Shorts fund seems like a way for the company to help push its short video platform which is currently filled with mostly TikTok reuploads. This is something we’ve noticed in other short video platforms like Instagram Reels. Instagram even decided to downrank Reels that carry the TikTok watermark.

In another push to expand Shorts, YouTube partnered with BTS for a Shorts challenge on its latest single ‘Permission to Dance’. The challenge runs until August 14, and BTS will be releasing a compilation with their favourite Shorts.

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