X is changing the way it pays creators. The social media platform has announced that it will discontinue its existing Revenue Sharing program and replace it with a new Original Content Rewards initiative designed to reward creators for producing content that generates meaningful engagement.
The announcement was made on Friday through X’s official creator account. The transition will happen over the next few weeks, giving existing creators a limited period to continue earning under the current system.
Revenue Sharing Program Ends in September
X has stopped accepting new applications for its Revenue Sharing program from August 8, 2026. However, creators who are already enrolled will not lose their remaining earnings immediately.
Existing participants will continue earning through September 7. X says they will receive three final payouts during the transition. Two payments are scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment, covering earnings accumulated through September 7, is expected around September 11.
The move effectively closes the current revenue-sharing system to new creators while giving existing participants time to transition to the replacement program.
Credits: NewsBytes
New Program Opens for Applications on September 8
Creators who currently participate in Revenue Sharing will be able to apply for Original Content Rewards starting September 8, provided they satisfy the new eligibility requirements.
Interestingly, X says the new program will begin making payments before that transition date. Its first payout is scheduled for August 28, while creators moving from the old program and enrolling in the new one on September 8 will receive their first payment under the new system on September 25.
This suggests X is attempting to create a relatively smooth transition between the two monetization models rather than abruptly ending creator payments.
Who Can Join Original Content Rewards?
The new program comes with several eligibility requirements.
Creators must be at least 18 years old and live in a country where Original Content Rewards is available. Their X account must also be in good standing, and they can use either a personal or business account.
Another major requirement is an active subscription to X Premium, Premium+, or Premium Business. Creators must also have at least 500 verified followers.
These requirements mean the new system is not designed as an open monetization program for every X user. Instead, X is targeting established creators who already have an audience and are willing to subscribe to one of its paid services.
How Will Creators Get Paid?
The biggest change is the way X calculates creator rewards.
Under Original Content Rewards, eligible creators will be paid based on qualified impressions generated by their original content. Payments will be made every two weeks.
However, not every view will count. X defines qualified impressions as unique impressions generated by Premium users viewing posts in the Home Timeline, with at least 50% of the post visible.
The platform will exclude several types of impressions from the calculation. These include repeated impressions from the same account on a post, paid or promoted impressions, artificially generated views and fraudulent activity.
The approach puts greater emphasis on genuine visibility from paying X users rather than simply counting every impression a post receives.
What Counts as Original Content?
X is also making a clear distinction between simply reposting existing material and creating content that adds something new.
Eligible original content can include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions. The key requirement is that the content should provide meaningful value to the conversation.
Creators can also use existing material, but they need to add meaningful commentary or creatively transform it.
Simply making minor changes will generally not be enough. Cropping an image, adding filters or borders, placing a watermark, changing playback speed or adding basic text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
Credits: Arise News
A New Direction for X Creators
The shift represents a significant change in X’s creator monetization strategy. Rather than relying on a broad revenue-sharing model, the platform is moving toward a system that focuses more directly on original content and engagement from Premium users.
For creators, the change could make originality increasingly important. Accounts that consistently publish analysis, commentary, reporting, videos, memes or other distinctive material may have a stronger opportunity to benefit from the new system.
At the same time, creators will need to meet stricter requirements, including maintaining a paid X subscription and having at least 500 verified followers. The success of Original Content Rewards will ultimately depend on how attractive the payouts are and whether creators find the new qualification system worthwhile.
For now, X’s message is clear: the era of its existing Revenue Sharing program is coming to an end, and original content is becoming the centerpiece of its next creator economy strategy.
