YouTube to run more ads; make rules tighter for content creators

YouTube has revised its policies letting it place more ads on any content of its choice, and not just those channels that come under YPP (YouTube Partner Programme).

The new norms will kick in from June. The video streaming giant will also not share the revenue it makes from such advertisements with the creators on whose content the ads are hosted.

"You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your content on the service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within content or charging users a fee for access). This agreement does not entitle you to any payments," reads YouTube's new terms of service in India.

Also Read: Gmail, YouTube, other Google services back after massive global outage

Prior to this, the video-sharing platform's ad placements were only on content under YPP that only big creators (meeting specific thresholds of subscriber count and views) were a part of.

Such content creators also earned a share of revenue from the ads under the partner programme with YouTube.

Moreover, in a move that could affect earnings of Indian YouTubers who have viewers in the United States (US), YouTube's terms of service now state that payments from the video-sharing platform to Indian content creators will be considered "royalties" from a US tax perspective, and that creators who earn from YouTube need to furnish their tax information by submitting it in Google's AdSense portal at the earliest.

Also Read: Badshah, Carry Minati, BB Ki Vines: YouTube reveals top 10 creators, videos of 2020

If the Indian YouTubers provide the tax information, they can claim benefits under a tax treaty between India and the US that lessens the tax rate to 15% of earnings.

In case the tax information is not submitted by May 31, Google may be required to subtract up to 24% of the total earnings as tax, the company stated.