YouTube said on March 25, 2026 that it is expanding access to the YouTube Shopping affiliate program to creators in the YouTube Partner Program who have at least 500 subscribers and meet the program’s eligibility guidelines.
The change means eligible creators can tag products from brands across Shorts, video on demand, and Live content and earn affiliate commissions on sales tied to those recommendations.
What changed
According to the source, this lowers access from earlier, higher thresholds that had historically been 10,000 or more subscribers in many markets. The new affiliate access point now matches YouTube’s expanded YPP entry level, which already made some monetization features available at 500 subscribers.
What creators can do
Eligible channels can add product tags to different content formats instead of limiting affiliate activity to larger accounts. The source also says viewers can shop those recommendations across mobile and living room viewing experiences.
Program details
The source points creators to YouTube Studio’s Earn area to check eligibility or request notification when expanded YPP access becomes available. It also says Help Center and Merchant Center documentation provide details on how affiliate tagging works and how merchant-side setup is handled.
If a creator is not in one of the available countries or regions, the source says there are no changes to the YouTube Partner Program for that account.