Spotify Slashes Video Podcast Monetization 2026 Thresholds to Rival YouTube
Spotify has drastically lowered the eligibility criteria for video podcast monetization in 2026. Creators now only need 3 episodes and 2,000 consumption hours.
The barrier to entry for creators just dropped by 80%. According to TechCrunch, Spotify is aggressively lowering its eligibility criteria to help podcasters monetize their video content, directly challenging YouTube's dominance in the space.
New Spotify Video Podcast Monetization 2026 Criteria
In a bold move to attract more talent, the platform's requirements for its partner program are now significantly more accessible. Previously, creators needed at least 12 episodes and 10,000 consumption hours. Those numbers have been slashed to lower the floor for emerging shows.
| Metric | Previous Criteria | New 2026 Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Episodes | 12 | 3 |
| Consumption Hours (30 days) | 10,000 | 2,000 |
| Unique Viewers (30 days) | 2,000 | 1,000 |
Since the launch of the partner program, Spotify says video podcast consumption has nearly doubled. Podcasters earn revenue based on the watch time of Premium users and a share of ad revenue from free-tier listeners.
New Tools and Global Infrastructure
Spotify isn't just lowering the bar; it's also improving the toolkit. New sponsorship tools arriving in April 2026 will allow creators to schedule and measure host-read ads directly within the Spotify for Creators app. A new API has also launched, enabling third-party hosts like Libsyn and Acast to seamlessly publish video to Spotify.
The average podcast user streams twice as many video shows per month as they did before the program was launched.
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