On a computer, sign in to YouTube Studio, open Earn, select Memberships, choose Get started, and follow the setup prompts. Accept the Commerce Product Module when YouTube asks you to do so.
A 24/7 live schedule does not create a separate membership switch or bypass YouTube’s eligibility checks. The Memberships tab appears only when YouTube considers your channel eligible, so a missing tab usually points to eligibility, policy, location, or review status rather than to the fact that your stream runs continuously.
Check membership eligibility first
Before looking for a hidden setting, check whether the channel meets YouTube’s current entry requirements for fan-funding features. YouTube’s monetisation overview lists these thresholds for memberships:
- 500 subscribers
- Three public uploads in the previous 90 days
- Either 3,000 qualified public watch hours from long-form videos in the previous 365 days, or 3 million qualified public Shorts views in the previous 90 days
These figures are only part of the test. YouTube also says the channel must be in the YouTube Partner Programme, the creator must be at least 18, and memberships must be available in the creator’s location. YouTube can review the channel before making the feature available.
The channel and its videos must also meet membership-specific requirements. A channel set as Made for Kids may not qualify, and a channel with a significant number of Made for Kids or otherwise ineligible videos may also be excluded. Some music channels, including channels under SRAV contracts, are not eligible for memberships. Review the official YouTube membership eligibility guidance before treating the thresholds as a complete checklist.
The content of an always-on channel deserves particular attention. A devotional loop, local news replay, study feed, or ambient stream may be suitable for your audience, but YouTube still assesses the channel under its general monetisation and fan-funding rules. Continuous playback is not evidence that the channel has passed those checks.
If you have only just been accepted into the YouTube Partner Programme, allow time for the membership review. YouTube says activation may take up to two days after YPP acceptance while it reviews eligibility. During that period, repeatedly changing the stream or reinstalling the Studio app is unlikely to make the tab appear.
Open YouTube Studio Earn
The clearest setup route is the desktop version of YouTube Studio:
- Sign in to the YouTube account that owns the channel.
- Open YouTube Studio in a browser.
- Choose Earn from the left-hand menu.
- Open the Memberships tab.
- Select Get started.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
The tab is conditional. YouTube’s computer instructions state that it only surfaces when the channel is eligible. If you can see other monetisation tools but cannot see Memberships, do not assume that the feature has moved to another menu. First compare the channel’s status with the requirements in the official help pages.
Use the channel switcher carefully if you manage several channels. Studio may open on a personal channel, a Brand Account, or another channel under the same Google login. Check the profile image and channel name before judging that the Memberships tab is missing.
It is also worth using a current desktop browser and allowing Studio to finish loading. Browser extensions, a stale login session, or a blocked pop-up can make a setup screen behave oddly. Those issues can affect the interface, but they do not create eligibility. A clean browser session is useful for testing the page; it is not a substitute for meeting YouTube’s requirements.
For an always-on channel, keep the YouTube live dashboard separate from the membership activation task. You do not need to stop a public broadcast merely to open Earn. The feature is attached to the channel, while the live broadcast is one place where members may later receive eligible perks.
Start Memberships setup
Once Memberships is visible, choose Get started and work through the prompts. YouTube’s setup flow then takes you towards creating membership levels and perks. Think of activation and perk design as two related jobs: first make the feature available, then decide what members should receive.
You may be asked to provide or confirm information about the channel and the programme terms. Read each screen rather than accepting a perk description that does not match what you can reliably provide. A 24/7 operator may have a large library of scheduled material, but that does not make every possible benefit acceptable under YouTube’s rules.
Memberships are recurring monthly payments from viewers in exchange for channel perks. They are not the same as donations, and YouTube says fan-funding features are not crowdfunding or donation tools. The distinction matters when you write descriptions for a devotional channel, a local news loop, or a study stream. Describe the actual membership benefit rather than suggesting that a payment is a donation to a cause.
A practical first setup might keep the promise narrow. For example, you could offer members access to a members-only live session at a stated time, members-only posts, or badges and emoji where available. Make sure someone can monitor the benefit and respond when it fails. A perk that depends on a live host being present every night is not a sensible promise if the channel is designed to run unattended.
YouTube’s guidance prohibits certain types of perks. Examples include downloads of content that is already available on YouTube, in-person one-to-one meetings, random-selection competitions or sweepstakes, and perks directed at or attractive to children. Check the current rules before publishing a level, especially if your channel contains children’s material or music supplied under a separate agreement. You can also read the YouTube channel memberships policy while planning the offer.
Do not make the public 24/7 stream members-only by accident. Decide whether the main broadcast remains public and whether members receive a separate stream, an occasional members-only event, posts, badges, or another permitted benefit. The membership setting does not automatically change the visibility of every live broadcast on the channel.
Accept the Commerce Product Module
During setup, YouTube may ask you to accept the Commerce Product Module, commonly called the CPM. This is the agreement that applies to the commerce features you are enabling. Read the terms shown for your account and accept them only if you and, where relevant, your multi-channel network can comply with them.
If an MCN or another organisation is involved with the channel, confirm who is responsible for accepting the relevant agreement. Do not assume that the person who starts a stream has authority to accept commercial terms for the organisation. The account’s ownership and permissions matter here.
The CPM is not a special 24/7 licence. Accepting it does not remove the normal channel, video, location, age, YPP, or policy requirements. It also does not make copyrighted music, rebroadcast news, or other third-party material suitable for membership perks. Continue checking the applicable monetisation, copyright, and community rules for the material you publish.
After acceptance, complete the remaining setup screens and create the levels and perks offered to viewers. Keep a record of what each level promises. This is useful when several people operate the channel, because a moderator answering a member should be able to see the same benefit description that the viewer saw.
For a channel that loops a long recording, avoid promising a benefit that is simply a copy of publicly available material. A members-only post can explain the schedule or share a production update, but the wording should be accurate and the post should comply with YouTube’s membership rules. If you are unsure whether a particular benefit is allowed, check the current official policy before publishing it.
Set up on the mobile Studio app
You can also start the process from the YouTube Studio mobile app. The route is:
YouTube Studio app > Earn > Memberships
Open the channel selector first if your Google account manages more than one channel. Then open Earn and look for the Memberships section. YouTube’s Android instructions say to look for Get started in that section when the Memberships card is available.
The mobile route is useful when you are checking a channel from India or another location while away from the production computer. It does not provide a different eligibility standard. If the card or Memberships section is absent on mobile, compare the desktop Studio view and then return to the eligibility checks rather than assuming the phone app is blocking access.
For a detailed first setup, desktop Studio is usually easier because the wider screen makes the terms, levels, and perk descriptions easier to review. Use the app for checking status or continuing a straightforward prompt sequence, but do not rush through commercial terms on a small screen.
Keep the app updated and sign in with the same account that owns or manages the channel. If the desktop page shows the feature but the app does not, sign out and back in, check for an app update, and try the desktop route. If neither interface shows Memberships, treat that as an eligibility or review question first.
The app also does not need to remain open for the live broadcast to continue. Activating memberships and operating a 24/7 stream are separate tasks. Your phone can be used to inspect the channel without becoming the device that carries the continuous broadcast.
Understand what 24/7 changes and does not
YouTube supports memberships for both horizontal live streams and vertical live feeds. That means a channel’s live format is not, by itself, a reason to exclude memberships. It does not mean that every channel running continuously qualifies, and it does not create a special approval route for a 24/7 schedule.
The useful distinction is between the channel feature and the broadcast format:
| Question | What the 24/7 schedule changes | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|
| Can the channel offer memberships? | It may give you more occasions to plan member benefits around live content. | It does not bypass YPP, location, age, policy, or channel eligibility requirements. |
| Can members watch live content? | You can decide whether to run a separate members-only live event or offer another permitted live perk. | The public stream does not become members-only automatically. |
| Does horizontal or vertical format matter? | You can choose the format that suits your audience and production workflow. | Neither format creates automatic eligibility or approval. |
| Does running all day prove reliability? | It may make scheduling and moderation more important. | It does not prove that YouTube has approved the channel for memberships. |
A continuous stream can make perk planning more demanding. If the channel is a bhajan loop, you might need to distinguish between the public devotional broadcast and a specific members-only session. If it is a local news loop, you must decide whether the benefit is access to a separate discussion, an update post, or another permitted feature rather than simply promising priority treatment in a live chat.
A study channel may be able to offer a members-only study session, but only if the content, timing, moderation, and description are accurate. An ambience channel should be cautious about promising downloadable versions of a public loop, because YouTube’s membership guidance restricts downloads of content already available on YouTube.
The operation of the stream still matters even though it is not an activation requirement. A computer-based setup can stop when the machine sleeps, the network drops, or the encoder fails. If you are comparing ways to keep the broadcast running, the guide on running a 24/7 YouTube stream with a prebuilt cloud streaming service covers the separate delivery problem. StreamNeo removes the need to leave your own computer running by taking an uploaded video, your YouTube stream key, and the continuous broadcast into one cloud-based workflow that monitors and restarts the stream when it drops.
That operating choice does not turn on memberships. It only addresses how the live video is delivered. Eligibility, the CPM, permitted perks, and YouTube’s review remain YouTube matters.
If your channel uses bhajans, film music, or other licensed recordings, keep rights and membership eligibility separate in your planning. The article on streaming bhajans on YouTube 24/7 is relevant to the content and rights side, but it cannot replace YouTube’s current membership requirements.
Troubleshoot a missing Memberships tab
If Earn does not contain Memberships, use this order rather than changing streaming software first.
1. Confirm the channel and account
Check the channel name, profile image, and permissions. Make sure you are not viewing a second channel under the same Google account. If you are a manager rather than the owner, confirm that your role permits access to the relevant monetisation settings.
2. Check YPP and the listed thresholds
Review the channel’s Earn status and compare it with YouTube’s listed thresholds: 500 subscribers, three public uploads in the previous 90 days, and either the long-form watch-hour route or the Shorts-view route. These are not interchangeable with private uploads, unqualified watch activity, or the fact that a stream has been live for many hours.
A 24/7 broadcast can produce viewing activity, but do not assume that every minute from a loop counts towards the relevant qualification. Use the figures and definitions in YouTube’s current eligibility overview rather than calculating from the stream’s uptime alone.
3. Check location, age, and channel setting
Memberships must be available in your location, and the creator must be at least 18. Check whether the channel or a significant portion of its videos is set as Made for Kids or otherwise ineligible. A devotional or educational format does not automatically settle this question; review the audience settings and YouTube’s guidance carefully.
4. Check music and other restrictions
Music channels can face additional restrictions, including the SRAV contract issue identified in YouTube’s guidance. A channel may be able to publish or stream some material while still being unable to offer memberships. Check the rights and contractual position for the channel rather than assuming that a public broadcast is sufficient.
5. Allow for review time
If YPP acceptance was recent, wait through the review period YouTube describes, which may take up to two days for membership activation. Keep the channel information consistent while waiting. Opening and closing the stream repeatedly will not replace the review.
6. Test the interface without changing the diagnosis
Try YouTube Studio in a desktop browser, refresh the account session, and check the mobile app. If one interface displays Memberships and another does not, continue with the interface that shows the setup. If neither does, save screenshots of the Earn page and contact YouTube through the available creator support route once the eligibility checks are complete.
Do not interpret a missing tab as evidence that your 24/7 format is forbidden, but do not interpret live-stream support as proof that the channel is approved either. YouTube documents memberships for live formats while retaining channel-level eligibility and policy requirements. This is why the troubleshooting path should begin with the channel, not the encoder.
For a separate live-access problem, such as YouTube live streaming being locked even after verification, see why YouTube Live streaming can be locked on a verified channel. That issue is related to live access, but it is not the same as missing Memberships in Earn.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Can a 24/7 YouTube stream have channel memberships?
Yes, YouTube lists memberships as supported for horizontal live streams and vertical live feeds. The continuous schedule does not grant eligibility, though, and the channel must still meet YouTube’s programme, policy, location, age, and content requirements.
Where is the Memberships tab in YouTube Studio?
On desktop, open YouTube Studio, choose Earn, and select Memberships. The tab only appears when YouTube considers the channel eligible, so its absence is usually a reason to check eligibility and review status rather than to search through other menus.
Why can I see Earn but not Memberships?
You may not yet meet the listed thresholds, be in the YouTube Partner Programme, live in a supported location, or meet the channel and content requirements. Made for Kids settings, music restrictions, and a recent YPP acceptance can also matter. If YPP acceptance was recent, YouTube says the membership review may take up to two days.
Does accepting the Commerce Product Module approve my 24/7 channel?
No. The CPM is part of setting up the commerce feature; it does not bypass eligibility or approve the content and operation of an always-on stream. Continue following YouTube’s monetisation, copyright, fan-funding, and other applicable policies.