YouTube Shorts Monetization 2026 Updates: What Changed and What Pays

YouTube Shorts monetization in 2026 operates on a revenue pool model. YouTube collects all ad revenue generated from ads shown between Shorts in the feed, takes a 55% platform share, and distributes the remaining 45% to eligible creators proportionally based on their share of total monetized Shorts views in a given month. This means your Shorts earnings depend not just on your own views, but on how your views compare to all other monetized Shorts in the same month. Higher-quality Shorts that generate longer watch sessions earn a proportionally larger share of the pool.

Shorts RPM is significantly lower than long-form RPM due to the pool-sharing model. Typical Shorts RPM ranges in 2026: US-based audiences: $0.03-$0.08 per 1,000 views. UK/Canada/Australia: $0.02-$0.06 per 1,000 views. India and Southeast Asia: $0.003-$0.015 per 1,000 views. For comparison, long-form YouTube RPM averages $1-$5 per 1,000 views in the same markets. A Shorts creator in India would need 10 million Shorts views to earn roughly $30-150 — which is why Shorts monetization alone is rarely sustainable, and most successful creators use Shorts as a top-of-funnel for long-form content.

Key updates affecting Shorts monetization in 2025-2026: YouTube increased the ad load in the Shorts feed, which grows the total pool available to creators — this has increased average Shorts RPM by roughly 15-25% from 2024 levels. YouTube also introduced 'Shorts Bonuses' for channels showing rapid growth, providing additional income on top of standard pool revenue. The YPP eligibility threshold remains at 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million Shorts views in 90 days, unchanged from when the Shorts monetization model launched.

Since RPM is largely fixed by the pool model, maximizing Shorts earnings means maximizing views. The highest-ROI strategies: post 1-2 Shorts per day consistently (as covered in the frequency guides), optimize your hook in the first 1-2 seconds to minimize swipe-away rate, target topics with sustained search demand rather than pure trending content (sustained-demand Shorts get views for months, not days), and grow a subscriber base so new uploads get immediate distribution to engaged followers. Use FluxNote to produce more Shorts per unit of time — every additional quality Short is additional pool revenue without proportionally more production cost.