Even if you don't earn a single yen on YouTube, the value of that video is not zero

Hello, this is Reiji Kuga.

Just recently, there was a major announcement regarding YouTube monetization.

Starting February 1, 2027, the requirements for new channels aiming for ad and YouTube Premium monetization through the YouTube Partner Program will become significantly stricter.

*This new standard applies to channels applying for ad and YouTube Premium revenue sharing for the first time on or after February 1, 2027. It does not affect channels already participating in the YPP.

The 1,000 subscriber requirement remains the same, but for long-form videos, the total valid public watch hours over the past 365 days will increase from the current 4,000 hours to 8,000 hours.

For Shorts, the valid view count over the past 90 days will increase from 10 million to 20 million.

It is simply double.

I checked the official YouTube announcement, and it is indeed changing.

I think this is a pretty major change for those who are planning to earn ad revenue on YouTube from now on.

When I first saw the numbers, I also thought, 'This has become tough.'

However, I started thinking about something a little different after that.

What do I want to do on YouTube?

When I think about it, at least for me right now, ad revenue was not the top priority.

My perspective changed a little when I saw the 8,000 hours

I think the 4,000-hour figure has been quite famous as a YouTube monetization requirement until now.

Even so, it is not easy.

Now it will be 8,000 hours. Shorts are also going from 10 million to 20 million.

It is certainly true that when an individual starting out from now on thinks, 'Let's aim for monetization first,' it feels much further away than before.

However, what was interesting while researching this change was that YouTube is not making everything stricter for small-scale creators.

For early YPP features like fan funding, which can be used from 500 subscribers, the entry requirements have not been raised this time.

Revenue opportunities beyond advertising, such as YouTube Shopping and collaborations with brands, are also expanding.

That was when I felt a bit conflicted.

Perhaps we have been viewing YouTube too much as a 'place to earn advertising revenue'.

The reason for putting 'Crossroad' on YouTube wasn't just for ads

I am making a metaverse drama with a team called Project Alive.

I am also releasing the work titled 'Crossroad' on YouTube.

Naturally, I want many people to see it.

I want the view counts to grow, and I want the number of subscribers to increase.

I don't think that numbers don't matter at all.

As long as I am trying to deliver a work, it would be a problem if no one saw it.

There was a time when I myself had the feeling that if I made a good work, someone would naturally find it. But when I actually made and released a work, it wasn't that simple.

Completing a work and having people find the work are two different things, aren't they?

That is why I write on note, post on X, and keep my works on YouTube.

However, to be realistic, if you look only at the numbers, the Project Alive YouTube channel is not yet a large one.

'Crossroad' took a considerable amount of time to complete, from writing the script, filming with the cast, reshooting many times, to editing. If you compare the effort put into a single work with just the YouTube advertising revenue, it probably doesn't pay off.

Even so, I want to keep my works on YouTube.

When I think about the value obtained from a single 'Crossroad' video, I realize that it is not just about advertising revenue.

Someone who watches the video might get to know Project Alive.

They might become interested in the person who made the work and search for the name Reiji Kuga.

From there, they might read my note, watch other works, or even become interested in the metaverse drama itself.

In fact, what I ultimately want to leave behind is not just a single work, but the culture of metaverse dramas.

Thinking about it that way, just because the advertising revenue was zero doesn't mean the value of the video itself is zero.

This is something I thought about again after seeing the news this time.

Is there no value in a 'non-monetizable channel'?

When you start YouTube, you inevitably look at the numbers. I look at them too.

I'm happy when the view count increases, and if it doesn't, I think about the reasons why. I also care about the number of subscribers.

So, I don't intend to deny the act of looking at numbers itself. Rather, I think it's better to look at them as long as you are putting content out there.

However, because the numbers for monetization requirements are so easy to understand, they easily become the goal.

1,000 subscribers. 4,000 hours of watch time. You meet the requirements and ads are enabled.

Only then does the meaning of doing YouTube emerge. Is that really the case?

I myself used to care quite a bit about view counts and subscriber numbers when watching YouTube. I still care about them even now.

However, since I started posting my own works, my perspective has changed a little.

Even if it doesn't get many views, there might be people who learn about our activities for the first time by watching that video.

Thinking about it that way, YouTube has plenty of uses even before advertising revenue is generated.

Recently, I have a stronger sense of viewing YouTube as a gateway for branding and works rather than a place for advertising revenue.

In fact, for individual creators, I think that might even be more significant.

I've started thinking beyond YouTube

Recently, the idea of trying to manage everything with just one SNS or service has faded quite a bit for me.

X has its role, and note has its role.

YouTube has video.

In my case, it is sometimes faster to have someone watch one completed work than to explain in writing over and over that I am making a metaverse drama.

What kind of world am I trying to create, and what kind of direction do I use?

The video itself proves that.

That is why I want to look at what happens after someone watches the video, rather than just looking at how much money came in directly from YouTube.

They might remember my name or watch another one of my works. They might even come to my note or website, and there is also the possibility that it could lead to events or work further down the line.

When you include things like that, the way you view YouTube changes quite a bit.

This is not about giving up on monetization.

If I can monetize, of course I want to. However, I don't make that the only goal.

Rather than earning money on YouTube, I am using YouTube to grow my overall activities.

For me right now, that way of thinking feels more natural.

When I saw the news that the monetization requirement was changing from 4,000 hours to 8,000 hours, I initially felt like the entrance had become further away.

But when I think about it, the meaning of placing videos on YouTube hasn't become any further away.

Maybe years from now, someone will search for "Crossroad" and learn the term "metaverse drama" for the first time.

If something like that were to happen,

I wonder how much that one instance would be worth in terms of ad revenue.

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