Do YouTube Shorts views count toward watch hours for monetization?
Short answer
No. Shorts views don't count toward the 4,000 long-form watch-hour YPP requirement. But Shorts have their own path: 10M Shorts views in 90 days satisfies YPP independently.
The two YPP qualification paths are mutually exclusive in counting: long-form watch hours don't count toward the Shorts path, and Shorts views don't count toward the long-form path.
Long-form path: 1,000 subs + 4,000 valid public watch hours (last 12 months). Shorts path: 1,000 subs + 10M valid Shorts views (last 90 days).
| Segment | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-form path | 1,000 subs | 1,000 subs | + 4,000 watch hours / 12 months |
| Shorts path | 1,000 subs | 1,000 subs | + 10M Shorts views / 90 days |
| Typical time to threshold | 3 months | 12 months | 24+ months |
Caveats
- Private videos and removed content don't count toward either path.
- After acceptance, ad revenue from Shorts and long-form is paid by their respective pools.