YouTube now counts views from the first frame, and is doubling Partner Program entry thresholds from February 2027. Here’s exactly what changed, sourced from YouTube’s own blog and Help Center, and what it means for creators and marketers.

If you just became a digital media planner, someone probably handed you a login to an ad platform and told you to “get started.” Nobody handed you the part that actually matters: how a media plan gets judged in the room where budgets get approved. This is that part. Free competitor scan See what your