How does YouTube determine eligibility for monetization?

YouTube has a set of criteria that creators need to meet to be eligible for monetization through their YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Here are the general requirements:

1. **Watch Time**: Creators must have at least 4,000 hours of watch time on their channel within the past 12 months.

2. **Subscriber Threshold**: Creators need to have at least 1,000 subscribers.

3. **Content Adherence**: Channels must comply with all YouTube policies, including community guidelines, copyright rules, and advertiser-friendly content guidelines.

4. **Ownership of Content**: Creators must own the rights to the content they upload or have explicit permission from the content owner to use it commercially.

5. **Location**: Creators must reside in a country or region where the YouTube Partner Program is available.

Once a channel meets these requirements, creators can apply for the YouTube Partner Program through their YouTube Studio dashboard. After applying, YouTube will review the channel to ensure it meets all the eligibility criteria. If approved, creators can start monetizing their content through ads, channel memberships, merchandise shelf, Super Chat, and other monetization features.