YouTube doesn’t pay a fixed amount per view. Channels in the YouTube Partner Program get a share of the ad money their videos bring in: 55% on regular videos and 45% of the revenue YouTube allocates to them for Shorts (YouTube Help). Recent figures from creators and analytics firms put 1 million long-form views at roughly $2,300 to $5,500, and 1 million Shorts views at roughly $30 to $300.
Those are typical figures, not a promise. The same million views can earn a few hundred dollars on one channel and more than ten thousand on another, depending on the topic, where the viewers live and how many of them see ads.
How YouTube pays creators
Only channels accepted into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) earn from ads. YouTube keeps part of the ad revenue and pays the rest to the creator:
- Long-form videos: 55% of the net ad revenue from ads shown on your videos.
- Shorts: ads in the Shorts feed go into a monthly pool. Part of it covers music licensing, the rest is split between creators by engaged views, and you keep 45% of your allocation (Shorts monetization).
- Memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks: 70% of the net revenue goes to the creator.
A view without an ad earns no ad money. That happens when a video isn’t suitable for most advertisers, when there is less ad demand where the viewer lives, or when the viewer has YouTube Premium, whose views are paid from a separate pool.
RPM and CPM: the two numbers to know
YouTube Studio shows both, and they are easy to mix up (YouTube’s definitions):
- RPM (revenue per mille) is what you earn per 1,000 views after YouTube’s share. It counts all views, including those that showed no ad, so it is the number that answers “how much per view”.
- CPM (cost per mille) is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube’s share. It is usually higher than your RPM.
To estimate 1 million views, multiply your RPM by 1,000. An RPM of $3 means about $3,000 per million views.
What 1 million views earns
| Type of views | Reported RPM | About per 1M views |
|---|---|---|
| Long-form videos | $2.30 median across 300 channels; creators quoted by Digiday reported $3.33 and $5.50 | $2,300 to $5,500 |
| Shorts | $0.03 to $0.30 | $30 to $300 |
Sources: AIR Media-Tech, 2026 (channels measured from May 2025 to May 2026), Digiday, February 2025. YouTube itself doesn’t publish an average RPM, so these figures come from creators and analytics companies.
Shorts earn far less per view because many Shorts views never sit next to an ad and the pool is shared among all eligible creators. One TubeBuddy test earned $99.87 from 3.1 million Shorts views, about $32 per million.
Why two channels with 1M views earn different amounts
- Topic. Advertisers pay more to reach some audiences. In AIR’s data, the median RPM ranged from $10.22 for education and science channels to $0.33 for kids and teens content.
- Where viewers live. Advertisers pay different prices in different countries, so the same video earns differently depending on its audience.
- Video length. Mid-roll ads can only run on videos 8 minutes or longer (YouTube Help), so longer videos can show more ads.
- How many views show an ad. The median channel in AIR’s study earned ad money on 53% of its views.
- Time of year. YouTube lists the season among the reasons RPM goes up and down.
Who can earn money on YouTube
YouTube has two entry levels for the Partner Program (YPP requirements):
- Fan funding and Shopping: 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Ad revenue and YouTube Premium revenue: 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
The bar goes up on February 1, 2027 for new applicants: 8,000 watch hours in the last 365 days, or 20 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. Channels already in the program aren’t affected. From the same date, earning from the Shorts pool in a given month will require 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days (YouTube’s announcement).
Once you meet the requirements, apply in YouTube Studio under Earn, accept the terms and link an AdSense account. YouTube says a decision typically takes about a month.
Other ways channels earn
Ads are only one part of the income for most channels:
- YouTube Premium: Premium members don’t see ads, and part of their subscription fee is shared with the channels they watch.
- Memberships and Supers: monthly memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks, with 70% going to the creator.
- Shopping: tagging products in videos, available from the 500 subscriber level.
- Sponsorships: brands pay the creator directly. YouTube requires you to mark videos with paid promotion (paid promotion rules).
For a look at a mid-size channel, see how much a YouTuber makes with 100K subscribers, and for what counts as a view in the first place, how YouTube counts views.
FAQ
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
For long-form videos, recent reports put it at roughly $2,300 to $5,500, with some topics far lower or higher. For Shorts, roughly $30 to $300.
How much does YouTube pay per view?
There is no rate per view. Divide your RPM by 1,000: with a $3 RPM, one view is worth about $0.003.
Do you get paid for views if you’re not in the Partner Program?
No. YouTube can show ads on any video, but only channels in the Partner Program receive a share of the revenue.
Why is my RPM lower than my CPM?
CPM is what advertisers pay before YouTube’s share and counts only views with ads. RPM is your share across all views, including the ones without ads.
Do Shorts pay the same as long videos?
No. In AIR’s 2026 comparison, Shorts earned between 3% and 14% of the long-form RPM in most topics.