YouTube limits reach of copied Shorts
Channels that mainly repost other people's videos are likely to receive fewer recommendations.
YouTube is adjusting its recommendation system for Shorts to give greater prominence to original videos. As a result, channels that mainly repost videos from other creators without making a substantial contribution may receive less reach in the Shorts feed.
YouTube announced the change through its official help community. The platform says the adjustment is intended to give original creators a better chance to build an audience and to show viewers reused videos without an original contribution less often.
According to YouTube, the measure mainly applies to channels consisting largely of reposted videos. A creator who uses someone else's material can still add value, the platform says, through original commentary, independent editing or a clearly personal narrative.
Small technical changes are not automatically sufficient. YouTube cites minimal adjustments and template-like edits, among other examples, as changes that do not necessarily count as a substantial contribution. The company did not publish a fixed threshold for how much original material is required.
The change concerns recommendations, not a general ban on excerpts. This announcement also does not automatically alter the copyright assessment. A video may be considered valuable in terms of content for recommendations and still raise copyright issues, or vice versa.
The change may be financially relevant for creators because fewer recommendations can directly mean fewer viewers and less advertising revenue. Channels that collect clips from podcasts, livestreams or other videos in particular will have to wait and see how YouTube assesses their balance of original and reused material.
YouTube has not announced a public dashboard that would allow creators to see precisely whether their reach has been adjusted as a result of this change. It therefore remains unclear for now how quickly the change will be introduced, how assessment works at channel level and how creators can challenge an incorrect classification.
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The announced adjustment and the limited information about its implementation were checked directly with YouTube and independently described by Europa Press. The text distinguishes between recommendations and copyright.
- confirmed YouTube will recommend original Shorts more prominently. — This is stated in YouTube's official announcement. source
- confirmed Channels that mainly repost content without a substantial contribution may receive less reach. — YouTube explicitly refers to reduced distribution in the Shorts feed. source
- confirmed YouTube has not announced a fixed threshold for original contributions. — The official announcement contains no numerical threshold. source
Editor's note
YouTube has confirmed the change, but has not announced an exact implementation date, threshold or appeals procedure. The effects on individual channels are therefore still uncertain.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „youtube shorts”
- NRC — „youtube shorts”
- Tweakers — „youtube shorts”