YouTube has just announced the expansion of its partnership program, offering more creators in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region access to fan-funding features like Super Chat, Super Thanks, Super Stickers, and channel memberships.

This expansion is set to benefit creators in countries including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Oman, with more countries to follow soon.

These fan-funding features come with a lower eligibility threshold, making it easier for creators to monetize their content. Creators in Saudi Arabia can now activate fan-funding if they have:

• At least 500 subscribers, made three public uploads in the last 90 days
• Achieved either 3,000 watch hours in the last 365 days or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days
• Have no active Community Guidelines strikes.

Tarek Amin, YouTube’s Director in MENA, expressed YouTube’s commitment to supporting creators, especially those at the start of their YouTube journey. He believes these new criteria will pave the way for a new generation of content creators.

The fan-funding features are designed to enhance community engagement. Super Chat and Super Stickers allow viewers to buy colorful, pinned chat messages and stickers during live streams and Premieres, enabling them to support their favorite creators and stand out in the chat. Creators, in turn, can connect with their top fans and access new revenue streams.

Super Thanks is another feature that enables viewers to show appreciation for creators by leaving colorful comments. Creators can build a stronger connection with their fans through these contributions

Channel memberships, on the other hand, allow viewers to join a creator’s channel through monthly payments, offering members-only perks like badges, emojis, and exclusive content

Creators can access these features through the “Earn” tab in YouTube Studio and will be notified via email when they become eligible. It may take up to four weeks for the feature to roll out to all creators

While fan-funding features were announced last year, YouTube’s Partnership Program, which allows creators with over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the last 365 days to share revenue from ads and YouTube Premium, remains in place