YouTube has announced that it will be adding the ability to appeal certain videos that have been demonetized, according to a blog post on the YouTube official blog.
These changes are being rolled out in the middle of YouTube’s adpocalypse, where many advertisers have been pulling out of working with YouTube due to some of their advertisements being found in videos that might be deemed as offensive.
Now, YouTubers will be able to check if a demonetized video will still be eligible for an appeal, which can be found in the Creator Studio.
“YouTube has always been a place for creators around the world to tell their stories, make connections and earn money. We care about users, creators and advertisers and have, for over a decade, strived to balance and align their interests. In the last few months we spent time addressing concerns from advertisers around where their ads are placed,” it said in the blog post. “With new controls and guidelines implemented, many creators have seen their earnings return to normal as advertisers resumed their campaigns.”
Now, three icons will represent the monetization status on YouTuber’s videos. The first icon, a dollar sign with a green circle around it, means that the YouTuber will make money from that video through advertisers and YouTube Red.
A dollar sign with a yellow circle around it means that there is either limited to no advertising on the video because either the advertisers don’t want their advertisements to be on that video or it doesn’t follow with YouTube’s own advertising guidelines.
The last icon introduced is a dollar sign with a strike going through it. This means that the video will not be making any money due to a copyright strike, Content ID claim, or Community guidelines strike being placed on it.
“Remember, if after reviewing the advertiser guidelines, you think your video is suitable for all brands and audiences, you can appeal or get troubleshooting help by following the instructions in our help center,” it said in the blog post. “We hope this update helps you better understand how best to create and monetize your content for YouTube’s 1.5 billion monthly users.”
The YouTube adpocalypse started after Pewdiepie, the most subscribed channel on YouTube, was dropped by Maker Studios after making a video using the app Fivver. In the video, he specifically paid two guys to say anti-Semitic things. He clarified that the point of the video was to show what people would do for five dollars and money in general, but since Maker Studios is now owned by Disney, they have to strictly regulate content under Maker Studios. As a result, many advertisers began to pull out of YouTube for not being careful with the content they allow on the website.
As a result of the adpocalypse, many YouTubers have been moving to different websites so that they can still upload the content they want to upload, without feeling restricted by not being able to make money off of videos. One notable channel, h3h3Productions, began streaming on Twitch more often and focused more on their vlog channel (although they have started posting more on their main channel with videos about controversial vlogger Jake Paul). h3h3Productions has over 4.5 million subscribers, while their vlog channel has over 1.7 million subscribers.
Not only does YouTube have to deal with advertisers, but they also need to remain fair to their YouTubers. Many YouTubers are angered by YouTube’s actions of focusing more on the advertiser’s needs than the YouTubers since many people make videos for a living. While this may be a step in the right direction, YouTube needs to be completely transparent about monetization, since, as mentioned before, are many people’s livelihoods. Not making money for spending hours filming and editing videos is literally the equivalent of not getting paid at a job.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons.
Maya Asregadoo
September 8, 2018 at 12:09 am
I’m glad that people will be able to see if a given YouTuber’s videos are monetized or not.