The ability to monetize content is a primary goal for many creators, and the metric of “Watch Time” serves as the primary gateway to that opportunity. This measurement reflects the total cumulative duration viewers spend engaging with a channel’s public videos, and it is a fundamental requirement for joining the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). The recent introduction of YouTube Shorts has created confusion for creators tracking their progress toward monetization. Understanding how watch time from these short videos is calculated—or excluded—is an important distinction for content strategy.
Understanding the Standard Monetization Threshold
The traditional path to monetization through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is built around long-form content consumption. To qualify, a channel must first accumulate 1,000 subscribers. Creators must also reach a specific benchmark of public engagement over a rolling 12-month period. This benchmark is set at 4,000 public watch hours, which translates to 240,000 total minutes of viewing time across all eligible videos.
This threshold indicates a creator’s ability to sustain viewer attention. Watch time from private, unlisted, or deleted videos does not contribute to this total. Establishing a strong base of long-form videos is the most direct way to meet this requirement.
The Core Answer: Watch Time from the Shorts Feed
A specific distinction exists for how viewing time is credited when a Short is watched through its most common discovery route. Watch time generated via the dedicated “Shorts Feed” or the Shorts Shelf interface does not count toward the 4,000 public watch hours requirement. This exclusion differentiates the monetization pathways for short-form and long-form content.
Shorts are designed for rapid, high-volume consumption, creating a different viewing behavior compared to a standard video. The watch time from these quick, vertical videos is separated from the calculation used for the traditional long-form metric. This separation reflects the different advertising and revenue models associated with each content format.
Specific Situations Where Shorts Watch Time is Included
While Shorts Feed views are excluded, watch time from a Short can still contribute to the 4,000-hour requirement under specific circumstances. The governing factor is the context in which the Short is viewed, rather than the video format itself. If a Short is watched from the creator’s main channel page, the watch time is credited toward the long-form requirement.
Similarly, if a viewer discovers a Short through a direct link, YouTube Search results, or embedded on an external website, the viewing duration is included in the 4,000-hour calculation. These viewing contexts are treated similarly to a traditional long-form video.
The Alternative Path to Partner Program Eligibility
For creators who focus primarily on short-form content, the platform offers an entirely separate set of requirements to join the YouTube Partner Program. This alternative route provides a pathway to monetization that does not rely on accumulating thousands of watch hours. This option still requires the channel to have 1,000 subscribers, but it replaces the watch hour requirement with a view count milestone.
Creators can qualify by achieving 10 million valid public Shorts views within a 90-day period. This metric acknowledges the high-volume, rapid-consumption nature of the short-form format. Meeting this threshold unlocks the same full YPP benefits as the 4,000-hour path, including eligibility for the Shorts Revenue Sharing model, where creators receive 45% of the revenue generated from ads played in the Shorts Feed.
Strategic Implications for Balancing Content Formats
Understanding these separate metrics should inform a creator’s overall publishing strategy. Shorts remain a powerful tool for rapidly increasing a channel’s subscriber count and overall visibility. The high virality of the format makes it an excellent top-of-funnel tool for audience acquisition.
Creators can use Shorts to attract new viewers and then strategically direct them toward longer videos that contribute to the 4,000-hour goal. A common tactic involves using a Short as a teaser for a longer video, with a call to action to watch the full content. By treating the two formats as complementary, a creator can leverage the benefits of both the traditional Watch Time model and the Shorts view model for a comprehensive monetization strategy.