YOUTUBE'S NEW POLICY IS BAD NEWS FOR ANIMATORS

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Starting February 1, YouTube will double the requirements for monetization eligibility: 8,000 watch hours annually or 20 million Shorts views within three months. Existing Partner Program members and Fan Funding/shopping thresholds remain unaffected, though YouTube expects overall creator earnings to rise via expanded Premium Lite availability. New independent animators face a steeper climb since their content-heavy production process makes it harder to hit these higher thresholds quickly.