YouTube is in the process of updating its algorithm which determines whether or not content is monetized. This update follows changes made earlier in the year to prevent ads appearing alongside extremist or violent content - a move welcomed by many brands around the world.
But for those who make a living from YouTube videos, despite the steps to make improvements, the update is not quite right and it seems content is being wrongly classified resulting in the loss of valuable advertising revenue.
YouTube is keen for YouTubers and content makers to appeal decisions where content is being wrongly classified by the algorithm in order to help train and improve it. A human eye will make a final determination.
However, if content is wrongly flagged as inappropriate or controversial, any successful appeal overturning the classification may simply be too late to capitalise on any future revenue - particularly if the content is topical or doesn't have a long shelf life.
So does this mean that YouTubers should now stay well within YouTube's guidelines to avoid this risk? A squeaky clean YouTuber could potentially earn more in ad revenue than a controversial one - but aren't most YouTubers popular because of their opinions and points of view?
In August, we launched the new monetization icons and appeals process so that you would have more transparency into how each and every video on your channel is monetizing. This system uses machine learning to apply a green icon (fully monetized) or a yellow icon (limited or no ads) to your videos and offers you the ability to appeal if you think a video is misclassified. Over a million human reviews have helped train and improve this technology and today, we’re releasing an important update that will result in fewer misclassifications overall. As a result, there will be a 30 percent reduction in the number of videos receiving limited ads as they move to being fully monetized. In other words, millions more videos will become fully monetized.
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