Shemaroo's COO confirmed during the Q1 FY27 earnings call that monetisation for YouTube Shorts has seen minimal progress, highlighting ongoing industry challenges despite YouTube's upcoming revenue-sharing criteria.
- YouTube Shorts monetisation shows minimal movement per Shemaroo.
- New revenue sharing requires 10M Shorts views in 90 days starting Feb 2027.
- Shemaroo prioritises connected TV platforms for better returns.
What happened
During Shemaroo's Q1 FY27 earnings call in July 2026, COO Arghya Chakravarty highlighted that monetisation for YouTube Shorts has barely advanced despite expectations. The company, a significant player in Indian digital content, echoed sentiments seen across the industry regarding the shorts format's limited revenue generation.
YouTube announced that from February 1, 2027, channels need 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days to qualify for ad and subscription revenue sharing related to Shorts. Views are counted only for public Shorts watched beyond the initial seconds and exclude repeated loops, private or deleted content, ads, and long-form videos. Until channels meet this threshold, monetisation is limited to non-shorts content.
Why it matters
Shemaroo's experience underscores the broader monetisation challenges for short-form video content creators and aggregators in India. Despite the massive consumption of Shorts, revenue models have yet to mature, leaving firms cautious about fully committing resources to the format.
The platform’s strategic pivot toward connected TV, which offers better monetisation opportunities, indicates an industry shift. Alongside this, Shemaroo remains hesitant to heavily invest in emerging formats like micro dramas due to unclear monetisation potential, reflecting cautious content acquisition strategies in evolving digital segments.
What to watch next
Starting February 2027, the 10 million view threshold will test larger creators' ability to monetise Shorts reliably on YouTube. Monitoring how many Indian channels meet these requirements and the impact on revenue will be critical for content companies like Shemaroo.
Additionally, Shemaroo's focus on connected TV monetisation and gradual OTT platform growth—expected to break even within two years—will bear watching as the company balances short-form video uncertainty against more traditional and subscription revenue streams. The evolving competitive landscape for micro dramas and other digital formats will also influence future content strategies.