YouTube expands full monetization for some “controversial” coverage
YouTube said it is updating guidelines for videos that advertisers define as “controversial,” allowing more creators to earn full ad revenue when they address sensitive issues in a non-graphic way. The changes took effect Tuesday, the company said, and it outlined the updates in a video posted to the Creator Insider YouTube channel.
Under the update, YouTube said videos that dramatize or cover certain sensitive issues without graphic descriptions or imagery are now eligible for full monetization. The company listed domestic abuse, self-harm, suicide, adult sexual abuse, abortion and sexual harassment as examples of topics that can qualify when the content is handled in a non-graphic manner.
YouTube said ads would remain restricted on videos that include child abuse, child sex trafficking and eating disorders. In addition to the policy change, the advertiser-friendly content guidelines were updated with “specific definitions and examples,” YouTube said.
“Guidelines had become too restrictive,” Kavanagh says
In the Creator Insider announcement, Conor Kavanagh, YouTube’s head of monetization policy experience, said the company wanted creators to have an opportunity to earn ad revenue while still respecting advertiser choice and industry sentiment. “We want to ensure the creators who are telling sensitive stories or producing dramatized content have the opportunity to earn ad revenue while respecting advertiser choice and industry sentiment,” Kavanagh said in the video.
Kavanagh also said YouTube found that its guidelines had become overly restrictive. “We took a closer look and found our guidelines in this area had become too restrictive and ended up demonetizing uploads like dramatized content.”
YouTube said the scope of eligible content extends beyond dramatizations. It said the update also makes personal accounts about these sensitive issues, as well as preventative content and journalistic coverage, eligible for full monetization if the videos avoid graphic descriptions or imagery.
Graphic detail now part of advertiser-friendliness review
The company said the degree of graphic or descriptive detail in videos was not previously considered when determining advertiser friendliness. With the change, YouTube is adjusting how it evaluates that factor when deciding whether content qualifies for full monetization.
YouTube also addressed how some creators might try to work around rules on sensitive topics, including by using alternative language that substitutes symbols and numbers for letters in written text. The article cited “unalive” as a prevalent example across social platforms.
The company has adjusted monetization policies before. The article said YouTube eased its monetization policy regarding profanity in July, making videos that use strong profanity in the first seven seconds eligible for full ad revenue.