Until recently, Armenia was one of the few countries where the YouTube Partner Program did not operate, forcing local content creators to use workarounds to earn revenue from their videos. This spring, the YouTube Partner Program will officially launch in Armenia, allowing Armenian creators to monetize their content and join the global community of over 3 million participants who have turned their favorite pastime into a profitable business.

Who Can Join the Partner Program?

According to information shared with NEWS.am Tech by information security expert Samvel Martirosyan, once your channel reaches 500 subscribers, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program. In addition to the subscriber count, you must also meet one of the following criteria:

  • Have 3 videos meeting the requirements and 3,000 valid public watch hours over the past 12 months,
  • or 3 million valid public Shorts views over the past 90 days.

When your channel reaches 1,000 subscribers, you can start earning from ads shown on your videos. To qualify, you also need:

  • 4,000 hours of public video watch time over the past 12 months,
  • or 10 million valid public Shorts views over the past 90 days.

What Will This Mean for Creators, Businesses, and Viewers?

Martirosyan explained that Armenian content creators who join the Partner Program will be able to earn money from YouTube ads, provided their channels meet the above requirements.

Previously, many Armenian creators tried monetizing their content by registering as residents of countries where monetization was available. However, if a channel was aimed at an Armenian audience and most viewers were from Armenia, ads would not appear for them, and revenue was minimal. Monetization worked only for views from abroad, for example, from the U.S. or Europe.

Now, this problem will disappear: Armenian creators will be able to earn revenue from ads shown to local viewers. This applies both to individual creators and to media outlets, where monetization could help strengthen financial independence.

Additionally, Martirosyan noted that once monetization officially launches in Armenia, local advertisers will also be able to run ads on YouTube. Part of the money they pay will go to the platform, and part to content creators.

“On one hand, this opens the market for local advertisers; on the other, it benefits creators—they will be paid for their work,” he said.

For regular viewers, however, there is a downside: ads will now appear more frequently, where previously there were none.

“Currently, Armenia is ‘clean’ in this sense—you can, for example, listen to Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony from start to finish without interruptions. Now, you will be distracted by ads,” Martirosyan explained.

There is a solution, though: viewers can subscribe to YouTube Premium to watch content without ads.