What it takes to get monetized
To earn from ads, a channel has to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). There are two ways into the full program: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours on long videos in the last 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. Hitting either one is enough.
In many countries there’s also an earlier tier with lower requirements (500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views). It unlocks fan funding like channel memberships and Super Thanks, but not ad revenue.
How we estimate it
YouTube doesn’t publish whether a channel is monetized, so this tool estimates it from public data. Subscribers come straight from the channel. Watch hours are trickier: we take the channel’s last 30 days of views, spread them over 12 months (never more than its lifetime views), and multiply by a cautious average view duration. Viewers rarely finish long videos, so we assume a 5-minute video is watched for about a minute and a 20-minute video for about a minute and a half. For Shorts channels we project 90 days of views from the last 30.
The result is one of four labels: meets the requirements, close (at least 60% on both), not there yet, or can’t estimate (when a channel hides its subscriber count).
An example
Take a channel with 800 subscribers, 20,000 monthly views and 10-minute videos. That’s 240,000 views a year; each view lasts about 78 seconds, which adds up to roughly 5,200 watch hours. Watch time is covered, but subscribers are at 80%, so the channel is close. This example is preloaded in the “By numbers” tab; swap in your own numbers.
Why we only check channels in our database
ByNiche tracks thousands of channels in English, German, French, Spanish and Turkish and refreshes them every day. This free tool reads from that database only, which is why results are instant. If a channel isn’t there yet, a free ByNiche account can analyze it in seconds.
How to get monetized faster
Watch hours come mostly from long videos that hold attention; 8 to 15 minutes is usually a good balance. Post on a schedule: one or two videos a week helps the algorithm understand your channel. Use Shorts to grow subscribers quickly, but collect watch hours with long videos. Most of all, pick a niche where new channels are still breaking out. In a crowded niche, 4,000 hours can take years; in the right one, a few months.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see if a YouTube channel is monetized?
Not officially; YouTube keeps it private. You can make a good guess, though: if a channel shows ads, a Join button or Super Thanks, it’s in the Partner Program. Our checker estimates whether a channel meets the requirements from its public numbers.
Do Shorts views count toward the 4,000 watch hours?
No. Shorts views only count toward the 10 million Shorts views path. Watch hours come from public long-form videos only; private, unlisted and deleted videos don’t count.
How long does it take to get monetized?
It varies a lot. A channel posting 10-minute videos needs roughly 15,000 to 20,000 views a month to reach 4,000 hours in a year. After you apply, YouTube usually reviews the channel within about a month.
Is being monetized the same as making money?
Getting in is only step one. What you earn depends on RPM, which varies a lot by niche. Try our YouTube money calculator to see what your views could be worth.
What happens once I meet the requirements?
You apply in YouTube Studio, link an AdSense account, and the channel is reviewed against YouTube’s content policies. Once approved, ad revenue starts; payouts arrive after you pass the $100 threshold at the end of a month.
Can a monetized channel lose monetization?
Yes. YouTube can turn it off if a channel breaks its policies, fills up with repetitive or reused content, or stays inactive for a long time.