In some countries around the world, YouTube’s distribution of content is subject to costs related to things like licensing third-party rights, regulatory fees, and platform taxes. To ensure the long-term sustainability of our operations, we may begin sharing some of these country pass-through costs with our monetizing partners.
We currently have no plans to implement these costs in 2023. When we begin sharing these costs, we’ll notify you of any applicable costs by country and how we calculate them at least 45 days in advance. Since these costs are associated with specific countries, they will be deducted proportionately based on the revenue you earn in that country.
How it works
The application of country pass-through costs is dependent on the country and applies across all monetizing surfaces. Here’s a simple hypothetical example focused on a creator only uploading long-form videos:
Hypothetical example
Country X has implemented a platform tax that applies to YouTube advertising revenue earned in that country.
- Based on a partner’s long-form ads earnings in Country X, the country pass-through cost is determined to be $1.
- After applying revenue share, the partner would pay $0.55, and YouTube would cover $0.45.
- By deducting country pass-through costs prior to calculating revenue share, YouTube and partners are sharing these costs according to the applicable revenue share.
While the example above demonstrates a single country pass-through cost, partners could experience multiple country pass-through costs when revenue on their content is earned in more than one country where these costs apply.
Notification from YouTube
When YouTube begins to share these costs, we will notify you of any applicable costs by country and how we calculate the costs at least 45 days in advance. Any deductions for country pass-through costs will also be reported each month.
Frequently asked questions
Are music copyright costs subject to country pass-throughs?
No. The sharing of licensing costs for third-party rights via country pass-throughs is separate from any deductions for the clearance of music rights under rights clearance adjustments. We will never deduct both a country pass-through cost and a rights clearance adjustment to cover licensing costs for the same rights.
Monetizing your videos with music is still subject to the applicable monetization policies of the respective video format. Learn more about using Creator Music with long-form videos, and monetizing Shorts with music.Are country pass-throughs applied based on my location?
How will I know what country pass-throughs apply to me?
We currently have no plans to implement country pass-throughs in 2023. When we begin sharing these costs, we’ll notify you of any applicable costs by country and how we calculate them at least 45 days in advance. Any deductions for country pass-through costs will also be reported each month.