Yes, YouTubers do get paid when YouTube Premium members watch their videos.
The short version is simple: Premium viewers do not see ads, but creators can still earn because YouTube shares a portion of Premium subscription revenue with eligible creators.
The more useful question is how that money is worked out, whether it replaces ad revenue, whether Premium views are worth more, and what this means for creators trying to build reliable income on YouTube. That is what this guide covers properly.
Why trust this guide?
I am not writing this as an outsider. I am a YouTube Certified Expert. I have coached 500+ clients, built and grown multiple channels, earned six YouTube Silver Play Buttons, built a personal audience of 100k+, and spent years working across YouTube strategy, SEO, retention, metadata, channel systems, and monetisation.
This matters because YouTube monetisation questions are often answered with half-truths. Creators need the practical version, not just a one-line yes or no.
If you want the wider monetisation picture as well, read What Percentage of YouTubers Make Money?. If you want help applying any of this to your own channel, you can book a discovery call.
Jump to what you need
Quick answer: do YouTubers get paid if you have YouTube Premium?
Yes. If a YouTube Premium member watches a monetising creator’s content, that creator can earn a share of YouTube Premium subscription revenue based on how much Premium members watch their content.
Premium viewers do not see ads, but creators are not left with nothing. YouTube pays eligible creators from subscription revenue instead.
That is the short answer Google can quote and the reader can use immediately.
The longer and more useful answer is that YouTube Premium creates a different revenue path from normal watch-page ads. Premium members pay a subscription fee. YouTube then distributes a portion of that revenue to creators based on member watch behaviour.
YouTube’s own help documentation states that revenue from YouTube Premium membership fees is distributed to creators based on how much members watch their content, and that subscription revenue is paid on the same monthly cycle as ad revenue. Source: YouTube Help.
How YouTube Premium pays creators
The simplest way to think about it is this:
- A viewer pays for YouTube Premium.
- They watch videos without ads.
- YouTube tracks how Premium members spend their watch time.
- A portion of Premium subscription revenue is distributed to eligible creators.
- The more Premium watch time your content gets, the more of that revenue pool you can receive.
YouTube Help puts it plainly: Premium membership fees are distributed to creators based on how much members watch your content. YouTube Help.
| Viewer type | What they see | How the creator can earn |
|---|---|---|
| Free viewer | Ads may show | Ad revenue, plus other monetisation features if enabled |
| YouTube Premium viewer | No ads on eligible videos | Share of Premium subscription revenue, plus other monetisation features if enabled |
That means Premium does not cancel creator earnings. It just changes the source.
Does YouTube Premium replace ad revenue?
Yes, for that specific Premium watch session.
If a Premium member watches your video, they are not seeing ads in the normal way, so that view is not generating standard ad revenue in the way a free viewer might. Instead, the creator can earn from the Premium revenue share model.
In plain English: ads are replaced by subscription revenue, not by nothing.
This is why the right answer to the main question is not just “yes”. It is “yes, but via a different revenue stream”.
Are Premium views worth more than ad-supported views?
Sometimes, but not in a simple one-size-fits-all way.
A Premium view is not automatically “worth more” every single time. The exact value depends on how Premium revenue is distributed, where the viewers are, how much Premium watch time your content gets, and how that compares with what the same audience might have generated through ads.
| Question | Better answer |
|---|---|
| Do Premium viewers help creators earn? | Yes |
| Do Premium views count as ad views? | No, they use Premium revenue sharing instead |
| Is every Premium view worth more than every ad-supported view? | No, it varies |
| Can Premium still be valuable for creators? | Absolutely, especially for watch-time-heavy channels |
If you are trying to understand how view value changes across revenue types, also read Do YouTubers Get Paid More If I Watch the Whole Ad?, Do YouTubers Get Paid If I Use AdBlock?, and How Much Money Does 1 Million YouTube Views Make?.
What still counts when someone watches with Premium?
A lot more than many people realise.
Premium viewers can still contribute to:
- watch time
- audience retention signals
- channel growth
- recommendation momentum
- Premium revenue sharing
- other monetisation layers like memberships, Super Thanks, products, or external offers
Older YouTube Help guidance also confirms that background play and downloaded views from Premium users still count toward revenue sharing in relevant contexts because the watch activity still contributes to Premium watch behaviour. The core point for creators is simple: Premium viewers still matter.
Why this matters for strategy: you do not need to make “Premium-friendly” content. You need to make content people actually watch. Premium revenue follows watch behaviour.
Who can earn from YouTube Premium views?
Not every creator automatically qualifies.
To earn from YouTube Premium revenue sharing, you generally need to be in the YouTube Partner Programme and have the relevant monetisation modules enabled. YouTube’s expanded Partner Programme overview confirms that ad and Premium revenue sharing sit behind the full monetisation thresholds. YouTube Help.
| Requirement area | What matters |
|---|---|
| YPP eligibility | You need to be accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme |
| Revenue sharing eligibility | You need the relevant monetisation modules and compliant content |
| Content suitability | Your content still needs to follow YouTube monetisation policies |
If you are still working toward those thresholds, read How to Get 1,000 Subscribers and 4,000 Hours Watch Time and What Percentage of YouTubers Make Money?.
Fresh official facts worth knowing
This topic gets stronger when you anchor it in current YouTube documentation rather than old forum myths.
| Fact | Why it matters | Source |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube says Premium membership fees are distributed to creators based on how much members watch their content | This is the direct answer to the core question | YouTube Help |
| YouTube says subscription revenue is paid on the same monthly cycle as ad revenue | Useful for creators checking payment expectations | YouTube Help |
| YouTube says Premium revenue sharing is part of YPP monetisation | Confirms that Premium income is a real creator revenue stream, not a side perk | YouTube blog, 2025 |
| YouTube says RPM includes YouTube Premium revenue alongside ads and other revenue sources | Shows Premium earnings are already folded into the broader revenue picture creators see | YouTube Help |
How Premium fits into a wider YouTube income strategy
YouTube Premium is valuable, but it is not usually the thing you build your channel strategy around directly.
The better approach is to build content that performs well in general: stronger topics, stronger thumbnails, stronger intros, more watch time, and more audience trust. Premium revenue then becomes one part of a broader monetisation mix.
A healthy YouTube income stack can include:
- ad revenue
- YouTube Premium revenue
- memberships
- Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks
- affiliate links
- sponsorships
- products, services, or coaching
This is why Premium is worth understanding, but not worth obsessing over in isolation. It supports good content. It does not replace good content.
If you want to widen this into a fuller income strategy, also read Do YouTubers Still Get Paid for Old Videos?, Can YouTubers Control Which Ads Are Shown?, and The Top Ways to Monetise Your YouTube Channel.
Tools that genuinely help you build a monetisable channel
The old tools section needed a full rebuild. Tools should support a strategy, not pretend to replace one. These are the ones I would actually recommend first because they are relevant, trustworthy, and already supported by useful content on this site.
| Tool | Best for | Why it earns a place here | Best next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Studio | Watching revenue mix and audience behaviour | This is where you see the broader monetisation picture, including RPM and viewer behaviour | Learn how to read the right signals |
| vidIQ | Topic research and search-led growth | Useful for building content people actually click and watch, which matters for both ads and Premium revenue | Try vidIQ or read my vidIQ review |
| TubeBuddy | Workflow and publishing support | Helpful when you want practical channel management support without pretending it will do the strategy for you | Try TubeBuddy or read my TubeBuddy review |
| StreamYard | Live streams, interviews, webinars | Useful because live viewers can also support channels through more than one monetisation route at once | Try StreamYard or read my StreamYard review |
| Syllaby | Content planning and ideation | Useful when your bottleneck is consistent topic planning, not just editing or analytics | Try Syllaby or read my Syllaby review |
Which tool should you pick first?
- Start with YouTube Studio if you want the most direct view of how your channel is actually earning.
- Use vidIQ or TubeBuddy if your bigger bottleneck is discoverability and packaging.
- Use StreamYard if live content or fan-funding formats matter to your business model.
- Use Syllaby if your issue is consistency and planning, not raw editing.
Related reading on YouTube money, ads, and monetisation
What I would do if I were trying to earn more from YouTube
- Stop thinking only in terms of ads.
- Build better content that holds attention for longer.
- Use analytics to understand audience behaviour, not just vanity metrics.
- Build a revenue mix that includes more than one stream.
- Treat Premium as part of the system, not the whole strategy.
Final thoughts
If you came here for the fast answer, here it is again: yes, YouTubers do get paid if you have YouTube Premium.
The important detail is that they are not paid through normal ads on that Premium watch. They earn through YouTube’s Premium revenue-sharing model instead.
That makes Premium an important part of the creator economy, but it is still only one part. The bigger goal is to make content people want to watch, because watch behaviour drives almost everything else.
If you want help building that kind of channel, start with Who Is Alan Spicer?, read how I help creators and brands grow, or book a discovery call.
Frequently asked questions
Do YouTubers get paid if I have YouTube Premium?
Yes. Premium viewers do not watch normal ads, but creators can earn a share of YouTube Premium subscription revenue based on how much Premium members watch their content.
Do Premium views count as ad views?
No. Premium views use a different revenue model. Creators can still get paid, but through Premium revenue sharing rather than normal ad serving on that watch.
Are YouTube Premium views worth more?
Sometimes, but not always. The value varies depending on watch behaviour, geography, and how Premium revenue compares with what ads might have generated.
Do YouTubers lose money if I watch with Premium?
Not automatically. Premium replaces standard ad revenue on that watch with subscription-based revenue sharing.
Can small YouTubers earn from Premium?
Yes, but only if they are eligible for the relevant monetisation features through the YouTube Partner Programme and their content meets monetisation policies.
Does YouTube Premium affect memberships or Super Thanks?
No. Premium mainly changes the ad experience. Other monetisation features such as memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks are separate revenue streams.
Does background play or downloaded Premium viewing still matter for creators?
Yes. Watch behaviour from Premium users still matters because Premium revenue is tied to how members consume content.
Is YouTube Premium important for creator strategy?
It matters, but it is not usually the main lever to optimise directly. Better content, stronger retention, and a wider monetisation mix still matter more.
Discover more from Alan Spicer - YouTube Certified Expert
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9 replies on “Do YouTubers Get Paid if You Have YouTube Premium?”
[…] using the platform. There is no way to opt out of being tracked in this regard, even if you pay for YouTube Premium to get rid of ads. Ads are, ultimately, the reason for tracking you in the first place, since […]
[…] you are worried that using the premium account wll hurt your favourite youtubers? I covered that in a recent […]
[…] YouTube Premium is YouTube’s way of cutting out the middle man. Rather than finding advertisers to pay for your eyeball-time so they can give you a share of that money, YouTube Premium allows users to pay YouTube directly. By all accounts, this is a better situation all around, since the user can watch their content without being interrupted by ads, and YouTube can get paid directly without having to worry about fickle advertisers and data collection regulations. […]
[…] material creators don’t get advert income from these followers. Nonetheless, YouTube provides creators a proportion of the Premium income based mostly on how a lot time a subscriber spends watching that creator’s […]
[…] material creators don’t get advert income from these followers. Nevertheless, YouTube offers creators a proportion of the Premium income based mostly on how a lot time a subscriber spends watching that creator’s […]