What counts as watch hours on youtube?

Public viewing hours on YouTube are the total number of hours people watched public videos on the channel. According to YouTube, it takes 4000 hours of viewing in the last 12 months and 1000 subscribers to access the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). If a new video is successful with initial views, interactions, and watch time, this sends a strong signal to YouTube that your video is working well. In order to monetize YouTube, you must have more than 4000 hours of valid public viewing in the last 365 days.

No, you can't cheat to earn revenue from YouTube by running YouTube ads for views and hours of viewing, since the viewing hours of YouTube ads are not included in the public viewing hours requirements. You must have 4000 hours of valid public playback for your videos in the last 365 days in order to apply for the YouTube Partner Program and earn income on YouTube. No, currently the hours of watching you've earned with YouTube shorts aren't included in the 4000 hours of public viewing you have to reach before you can start earning money with YouTube AdSense. Generating 4000 hours of playback may seem like a daunting task, but it can be easily achieved if you spend time on your content and promotion strategies.

Keep in mind that, in addition to 4000 hours of public viewing on YouTube, your YouTube channel must also have at least 1000 subscribers in order to apply for YPP and monetization. Thank you for writing such an informative post on how to get subscribers and hours of viewing on YouTube. If you've reached 4000 hours of public viewing, but only in more than 363 days, unfortunately, you won't be able to apply for the YouTube Partner Program yet.