Youtube to pay popular content creators Sh1 million

Content creators in Kenya will receive up to Sh1.1 million monthly payment for short YouTube videos.

The video-sharing platform has launched a new venture locally, YouTube Shorts, aimed at competing with the popular short clip sharing app TikTok.

The company has set aside more than Sh10.9 billion to reward creators whose videos receive the most engagement and views.

“We’re introducing the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100 million fund distributed over the course of 2021-2022. Anyone is eligible to participate in the fund simply by creating unique Shorts that delight the YouTube community,” YouTube said on its official blog.

“Each month, we'll reach out to thousands of eligible creators to claim a payment from the Fund - creators can make anywhere from $100 (Sh11,000) to $10,000 (Sh1.1 million) based on viewership and engagement on their Shorts.”

The move by the Google-owned platform comes as YouTube attempts to grow its user and creator fan base for its short-form video product.

According to a statement by YouTube, the fund will not be limited to creators in the YouTube Partner Programme.

“The Shorts Fund is the first step in our journey to build a monetisation model for Shorts on YouTube. This is a top priority for us, and will take us some time to get it right,” the statement added.

The company will release specific details and metrics of payment over the next few months.

The investment comes at a time when competing platforms are rushing to attract young creators who are “building huge fan followings”, according to Reuters.

The fund has been available to creators in counties including Nigeria, South Africa, India, UK and US for some time, while Kenyan creators were paid only for longer videos and music.

Competing platforms are rushing to attract young creators who are “building huge fan followings”, according to Reuters.

The fund has been available in counties like Nigeria, South Africa, India, UK and US, while Kenyan creators were paid only for longer videos and music.