Youtube The unique features of CMS channels (in case you're wondering what that is)

[MrZeether]

Keep in mind, this list is based on what I remember after working in this area for a while. It might not be 100% accurate, and there could be some missing details, but I’ve shared what I know. I’ve worked with CMS channels using this info, and it really helped me make money.

CMS channels have several special features:

Whitelisted channels (they’re not usually subject to automatic bot checks or flagging).
Mostly immune to shadowbans.
Direct support from YouTube staff (real people, not bots).
Can earn from external views and bot-like views without having money deducted (if it’s on AdSense, they’ll notice and deduct the earnings).
Can upload content that normally wouldn’t be monetized through YPP on AdSense (for example, low-quality kids' content or animated videos that often get rejected, but CMS channels can still monetize them, along with other types of content).

Uploading videos longer than 24 hours is allowed.
Higher upload limits per day, ranging from 110 to 1050 videos (as far as I know).
Better default CPMs because of being "Google Preferred" (higher channel P-Score).
Can bot views without getting shadowbanned. On AdSense, competitors can send low-quality views to reduce your reach (which can get your channel flagged).
Easier to resolve false strikes on a CMS channel. With regular AdSense channels, it’s harder, as YouTube sometimes rejects your counter-notification, claiming they don’t have enough information to prove your strike is invalid. They don’t even forward the counter-notification to the claimant, they just reject it (which is frustrating).
Very rare to get demonetized with a CMS channel, and if it does happen, it can be fixed within a few days (no waiting a month).
Easier to scale multiple channels without being throttled, ensuring max performance per channel.
The only downside to a CMS channel is that you’ll have to give away about 25% to 55% of your earnings (depending on your CMS owner’s terms). But in return, you get all these benefits, which I find really helpful since you can scale without the headache of managing AdSense channels.

 

[ThinkWar]

Thanks for your input. What I don’t understand is, since to get CMS you need to join an MCN, and to join an MCN you have to be approved by YouTube to join the YPP, you also need your channel monetized on AdSense first. So, even if you link your channels to an MCN, they can still see that all the channels are connected to the same AdSense account. Isn’t that a problem?

I also know people who work with one of the largest MCNs in the world, and I can confirm that during a content purge (where bots flagged content and people abused the report button), they had videos deleted and even faced full demonetization on one channel. It felt like it was all YouTube bots at work. In fact, on the demonetization page, it says they use a mix of “human reviewers and automated systems.” But it's pretty clear that it’s mostly automated systems. In this video, you can see a new message on the demonetization page:

He asked, but the MCN wasn’t able to help, so basically, you’re stuck. You’re demonetized, but you don’t know which videos to edit or delete. How are you supposed to make money from the channel again? And now, if you try to start a new channel while being demonetized, you run into even more problems:

MMO

So, if you only had one channel and got demonetized, but have no idea how to fix it, you might decide to start fresh. But you can’t. What do you do? It looks like you’re stuck unless you can fix the demonetization issue with your original channel. I know two people who got demonetized, tried starting new channels, got approved for YPP, and then got kicked out again. I’m not sure if it was because they sent traffic from their old channels, or maybe it was before the 90-day restriction, or if starting a new channel while being demonetized is seen as trying to bypass the restriction. Basically, it seems like you can’t create new channels or join YPP again unless you solve the demonetization problem with your old channel. But, like I mentioned before, it’s hard to fix it when you don’t know what videos caused it, especially when the deleted videos seem random and harmless. It feels like the bar is set so low that you start wondering what you’re even supposed to do.

The only thing I can think of is to create a brand-new AdSense account, but that’s risky because you could get locked out if they ask for updated credentials and the person you trusted to set up the new account isn’t available.

I’ve been trying to figure out a way out of this demonetization mess, but I haven’t found one. Anyway, thanks for your input, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issues I’ve shared here.

 

[MrZeether]

Thanks for your input. What I don’t understand is, since to get CMS you need to join an MCN, and to join an MCN you have to be approved by YouTube to join the YPP, you also need your channel monetized on AdSense first. So, even if you link your channels to an MCN, they can still see that all the channels are connected to the same AdSense account. Isn’t that a problem?

I also know people who work with one of the largest MCNs in the world, and I can confirm that during a content purge (where bots flagged content and people abused the report button), they had videos deleted and even faced full demonetization on one channel. It felt like it was all YouTube bots at work. In fact, on the demonetization page, it says they use a mix of “human reviewers and automated systems.” But it's pretty clear that it’s mostly automated systems. In this video, you can see a new message on the demonetization page:

He asked, but the MCN wasn’t able to help, so basically, you’re stuck. You’re demonetized, but you don’t know which videos to edit or delete. How are you supposed to make money from the channel again? And now, if you try to start a new channel while being demonetized, you run into even more problems:

MMO

So, if you only had one channel and got demonetized, but have no idea how to fix it, you might decide to start fresh. But you can’t. What do you do? It looks like you’re stuck unless you can fix the demonetization issue with your original channel. I know two people who got demonetized, tried starting new channels, got approved for YPP, and then got kicked out again. I’m not sure if it was because they sent traffic from their old channels, or maybe it was before the 90-day restriction, or if starting a new channel while being demonetized is seen as trying to bypass the restriction. Basically, it seems like you can’t create new channels or join YPP again unless you solve the demonetization problem with your old channel. But, like I mentioned before, it’s hard to fix it when you don’t know what videos caused it, especially when the deleted videos seem random and harmless. It feels like the bar is set so low that you start wondering what you’re even supposed to do.

The only thing I can think of is to create a brand-new AdSense account, but that’s risky because you could get locked out if they ask for updated credentials and the person you trusted to set up the new account isn’t available.

I’ve been trying to figure out a way out of this demonetization mess, but I haven’t found one. Anyway, thanks for your input, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issues I’ve shared here.

What I don’t understand is, since to get CMS, you need to join an MCN, and to join an MCN, you first need to be approved by YouTube to be in the YPP, and your channel needs to be monetized with AdSense first.

There’s a difference though. If you join a regular MCN, you do need to be monetized first. But there’s something called a "managed CMS," which gives you more privileges. Plus, there are "CMS generated channels" that are directly created by the CMS owner and monetized right away.

If you know someone who owns a CMS, they could create a new channel for you, and you could manage it for them. That way, you’d split the profits without dealing with the headaches of building an AdSense monetized channel from scratch.

 

[ThinkWar]

What I don’t understand is, since to get CMS, you need to join an MCN, and to join an MCN, you first need to be approved by YouTube to be in the YPP, and your channel needs to be monetized with AdSense first.

There’s a difference though. If you join a regular MCN, you do need to be monetized first. But there’s something called a "managed CMS," which gives you more privileges. Plus, there are "CMS generated channels" that are directly created by the CMS owner and monetized right away.

If you know someone who owns a CMS, they could create a new channel for you, and you could manage it for them. That way, you’d split the profits without dealing with the headaches of building an AdSense monetized channel from scratch.

Hey, I’m in touch with an MCN that has its own CMS. The person who contacted me actually found my Gmail YouTube account, which they’re allowed to do because of the CMS features. From what I understand, this “monetized from the start” option would be useful if you wanted to start a new channel. How should I ask about this, since it doesn’t seem to be something they openly advertise? Also, what’s a fair percentage to ask for? I’ve seen 8-10% for some people in this MCN, but I’m not sure if those were channels they monetized first themselves and then applied for the MCN (the usual method), or if they requested a new CMS-generated channel. I’m curious if there would be a different rate for that.

It’d also be helpful to know who owns the copyright of your videos or the channel itself when it’s set up this way, and if there’s anything else important I should consider.

Also, if you had a big channel that got demonetized but didn’t have the right contacts to get specific info from YouTube on how to reapply, what would you do?

For example, what are the top-tier contacts?

YouTube literally told him on the phone what to do, and after making a few changes, he got monetized in 5 days. Meanwhile, if you don’t have the right contacts—like most people—you end up in a confusing cycle, trying to figure out what’s wrong, and you have to wait 3 months every time you reapply (it used to be just 30 days). Some people even end up messing up their channels by deleting too many videos when all they really needed to do was add a disclaimer, but only a top-level contact at YouTube would tell you that.

 

[LinTaru]

Can you list some CMS companies that are available to the public?

 

[MrZeether]

Hey, I’m in touch with an MCN that has its own CMS. The person who contacted me actually found my Gmail YouTube account, which they’re allowed to do because of the CMS features. From what I understand, this “monetized from the start” option would be useful if you wanted to start a new channel. How should I ask about this, since it doesn’t seem to be something they openly advertise? Also, what’s a fair percentage to ask for? I’ve seen 8-10% for some people in this MCN, but I’m not sure if those were channels they monetized first themselves and then applied for the MCN (the usual method), or if they requested a new CMS-generated channel. I’m curious if there would be a different rate for that.

It’d also be helpful to know who owns the copyright of your videos or the channel itself when it’s set up this way, and if there’s anything else important I should consider.

Also, if you had a big channel that got demonetized but didn’t have the right contacts to get specific info from YouTube on how to reapply, what would you do?

For example, what are the top-tier contacts?

YouTube literally told him on the phone what to do, and after making a few changes, he got monetized in 5 days. Meanwhile, if you don’t have the right contacts—like most people—you end up in a confusing cycle, trying to figure out what’s wrong, and you have to wait 3 months every time you reapply (it used to be just 30 days). Some people even end up messing up their channels by deleting too many videos when all they really needed to do was add a disclaimer, but only a top-level contact at YouTube would tell you that.

It’s a good idea to have human contact at YouTube because bots sometimes flag your channel without saying why.

Can you list some CMS companies that are available to the public?

Just look it up on Google.

 

[Mylingna]

First, many YouTubers in a CMS usually have a 10-5% or even 0% revenue share. No one with a large following (unless they’re really unaware) has a 20% to 50% MCN deal.

Whitelisted channels (not subject to most automatic bot checks and flagging).
This isn’t true. You can still get yellow symbols and community guideline strikes.

Immune to shadowbans (most of the time).
No, you can still get kicked from recommendations if you mistakenly submit videos for monetization or yellow symbol reviews.

Direct support from YouTube staff (human support, not bots).
Usually, it's just your MCN you work with, unless you have a personal partner manager.

Ability to earn from external views and human-like bot views without money being deducted. (If it's on AdSense, they’ll detect and deduct money).
I’m not sure about this, and it seems unclear. I’ve heard that Google might freeze an AdSense account, but I haven’t heard of them "deducting" money from external views.

Ability to upload content that is usually not monetizable with YPP on AdSense. (Low-quality kids' content or animation videos are often rejected from monetization on AdSense, but CMS users can still do it, and there are many other content types allowed.)
This isn’t quite right. YouTube can remove CMS access from the owner, but yes, CMS owners can add channels with "non-fair use" content. However, CMS owners tend to avoid doing this.

Uploading videos that are longer than 24 hours.
I’m not sure about this one.

Higher upload limit per day, from 100 to 1000 videos (as far as I know).
Not sure about this either.

Higher default CPMs because of being “Google Preferred” (higher channel P-Score).
No. This depends on having good standing with YouTube. "Google Preferred" is curated by YouTube staff. Anyone can upload niche content or get good retention on longer videos with ads, leading to high CPM. (For example, an hour-long finance video with 40% retention could have a very high RPM of $50, while a 2-minute meme video might only get $1 RPM).

Ability to bot views without getting shadowbanned. In AdSense, competitors might send low-quality views to hurt your reach (your channel gets flagged).
I don’t know about this. It’s unclear why this would happen or what the benefit would be.

If you get a false strike on a CMS channel, it’s much easier to send a counter notification and get the strike resolved. On regular AdSense channels, it’s harder because YouTube might reject your counter notification, saying they don’t have enough information that your claim is valid. They might not even forward your counter notification to the claimant and just reject it (which is frustrating).
No. The same people work on channels in a CMS. Denials still happen on CMS channels. You just get the same response, and sometimes it takes a while to get approved. And CMS doesn’t protect you from copyright strikes—if the copyright holder strikes your content, it’s between them and the uploader.

It’s very rare to get demonetized with a CMS channel, and if you do, it can be resolved in just a few days (no waiting for a month).
It depends on the CMS’s connection with YouTube and your relationship with the CMS owner, I guess.

Easy to scale multiple channels without getting throttled (maximum performance per channel).
What does that even mean?

The only trade-off with a CMS channel is having to give up around 20% to 50% of your revenue (depending on what the CMS owner asks for). But in return, you get all the benefits mentioned above, which I think are useful since you can scale without the hassle of dealing with AdSense channels.

Again, no one pays 20% to 50%. I don’t understand where you got that number. Honestly, being in an MCN can be risky because if the MCN files for bankruptcy, good luck getting your money. Like with Defy Media, and it looks like Omnia Media is holding payments for some YouTubers this month.