YouTube’s Improved Monetization Review Process
YouTube is enhancing its system to help creators monetize content faster and reduce restrictions by automating secondary reviews of videos flagged with a yellow dollar sign (indicating limited or no ads).
Current Review System
Each video is reviewed for ad suitability and marked with:
- Green dollar sign: Eligible for all ads
- Yellow dollar sign: Limited ads
- Red dollar sign: No ads
Creators can currently request a manual review if they disagree with the yellow or red ratings.
New Automated Secondary Review
YouTube will now automatically send videos with a yellow dollar sign for an additional review, often completed by a human, to improve accuracy and speed up monetization.
This aims to:
- Reduce the need for creator appeals
- Provide more confidence in monetization status
- Ensure more ad slots are available
Review Timing and Creator Guidance
The updated process might take up to 24 hours for some videos, though most will be reviewed in minutes. Creators are advised to upload videos as Unlisted or Private in advance to accommodate longer review times.
Creators will receive an email notification once a final decision is made, with the familiar green, yellow, or red icon shown in YouTube Studio.
Benefits and Considerations
- More accurate and stable monetization assessments
- Reduced reliance on automated reviews and systematic restrictions
- Potential for increased manual review workload, possibly balanced by additional automated checks
- Increased ad opportunities benefiting both creators and YouTube
- Viewers may experience more ads due to expanded monetization
