YouTube is updating its advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow more videos about controversial issues to earn full ad revenue, as long as they’re dramatized or discussed in a non-dramatic way. These controversial topics include self-harm, abortion, suicide, and domestic and sexual abuse. YouTube notes that content about child abuse or eating disorders will remain ineligible for full monetization.
YouTube was announced the change this week in a video on the Creator Insider channel.
“In the past, the degree of graphic or descriptive detail was not considered a significant factor in determining advertiser-friendliness, even for some dramatized material,” YouTube explained. “As a result, such uploads typically received a yellow dollar icon, which limited their ability to fully monetize. With this week’s update, our guidelines are becoming more lenient and creators will be able to earn more revenue from ads.”
The Google-owned company says it’s making the change in response to comments from creators that YouTube’s guidelines led to limited ad revenue for drama and topical content. YouTube notes that it wants to ensure that creators who tell sensitive stories or produce dramatic content have the opportunity to earn ad revenue.
“We took a closer look and found that our guidelines in this area had become too restrictive and ended up de-funding uploads like dramatized content,” YouTube said. “This content can be about topics that advertisers find controversial, but ultimately feel comfortable running their ads on. For example, the content can be in a fictional context or express personal experiences in a fleeting or non-fictional way. So, as long as the content doesn’t contain very descriptive or graphic scenes or segments, creators can now earn more ad revenue.”
The move comes as YouTube has loosened the way it regulates content on its platform.
The company told moderators last year to leave videos that may violate the platform’s rules if they are deemed to be in the public interest. The New York Times said at the time that these videos included discussions of political, social and cultural issues. The policy change came as social media platforms rolled back online speech moderation following President Donald Trump’s return to power.
YouTube notes that there are still some areas where ads will remain restricted, as topics such as child abuse, including child trafficking and eating disorders, are not included in this update. Descriptive portions of these topics or dramatized content around them remain ineligible for ad revenue.
