X scraps revenue sharing program, unveils new creator rewards initiative

X is ending its existing Creator Revenue Sharing program and replacing it with a new monetization system called Original Content Rewards, shifting the platform’s focus from general engagement and revenue sharing toward creators who produce original work. The change was announced on August 7, with X immediately stopping new enrollments in the existing program and setting September 7 as the retirement date.

The move represents a significant change in how X intends to financially reward creators. Under the new system, payments will be linked to qualified impressions generated by original posts, with X placing greater emphasis on reporting, expertise, commentary, creativity and meaningful contributions. The company is also tightening its rules around reposted, automated and minimally edited material, potentially changing the economics for accounts that have relied heavily on viral or recycled content.

What Happened

X has stopped accepting new creators into its Creator Revenue Sharing program and plans to retire the system completely on September 7, 2026. Existing participants will continue receiving payments through the end of the program, with final payouts scheduled around the transition period.

Beginning September 8, existing Revenue Sharing participants will be able to apply for the new Original Content Rewards program if they meet its eligibility requirements. X says the new system is designed to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, entertainment and commentary to the platform.

Transition Timeline

Date	Development
August 7, 2026	New Revenue Sharing enrollments end
August 14	Existing program payout
August 28	Existing program payout; first new-program payout also scheduled
September 7	Creator Revenue Sharing officially retires
September 8	Existing participants begin getting access to apply for Original Content Rewards
September 11	Final Revenue Sharing payment expected
September 25	First payment for existing creators who enroll in the new program

How the New Original Content Rewards Program Works

The biggest change is the way X defines the content that can generate rewards.

Under Original Content Rewards, eligible creators earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content. Payments are made every two weeks. X defines qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline where at least 50% of a post is visible.

X says repeated impressions from the same account, paid or promoted impressions, artificially generated impressions and fraudulent impressions will not count toward rewards.

This creates a more specific measurement system than simply rewarding broad visibility. It also means creators will need to focus on reaching genuine audiences rather than generating large numbers of potentially low-value impressions.

Eligibility Requirements

X is retaining several requirements from its existing monetization system while introducing the new content standards.

Creators must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Live in a country where the program is available.
• Maintain an account in good standing.
• Have a Personal or Business account.
• Subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business.
• Have at least 500 verified followers.
• Record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users during the previous 90 days.
• Regularly publish original content.

The existing X Revenue Sharing program has similar requirements, including a Premium subscription, at least 5 million organic impressions over three months and at least 500 verified followers. The lower 500,000-impression threshold under Original Content Rewards could therefore make the new program accessible to some creators who would not have met the previous reach requirement.

X Puts Original Content at the Center

The new program is designed to favor creators who originate or substantially develop the content they publish.

X says qualifying material can include:

• Threads
• Videos
• Memes
• Graphics
• Illustrations
• Reporting
• Analysis
• Commentary
• Reactions that add meaningful value

The platform is particularly clear that simply reposting another person’s content will not be enough to qualify. Creators using third-party material must add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humor or creative transformation.

What May Not Qualify

X says minor modifications generally will not transform someone else’s work into eligible original content.

Cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed changes and simple text overlays are specifically identified as insufficient on their own. Content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform, automated content, disinformation and misleading material can also be excluded.

This is an important change for accounts built around aggregation and viral reposts.

Why X Is Changing Its Creator Payment Model

The new program appears designed to address a longstanding problem with social-media monetization: financial incentives can encourage creators to maximize engagement rather than produce genuinely useful content.

X has increasingly emphasized original creators as it tries to reduce the influence of accounts that recycle popular posts, videos and other material. The platform has previously moved to reduce payouts for accounts that aggregate other people’s content.

Original Content Rewards formalizes that direction by making originality a central requirement for earning.

The strategy could also help X strengthen the quality of conversations on the platform. Original reporting, expertise and analysis can encourage users to follow individual creators rather than accounts that simply collect viral material from elsewhere.

What It Means for Creators

For creators, the transition creates both opportunities and uncertainty.

Accounts built around original reporting, commentary, analysis or creative work could benefit from the new model if their content consistently generates qualified impressions. However, creators who depend heavily on reposting or lightly modifying third-party content may see fewer opportunities to monetize their audience.

The importance of Premium users is another notable factor. Because qualified impressions are specifically tied to Premium users on the Home Timeline, creators may need to consider not just total reach but also the composition of their audience.

That could change how creators approach audience growth and content strategy on X.

AI-Generated Content Faces Additional Scrutiny

The new rules also have implications for creators using generative AI.

X’s monetization standards do not automatically make all AI-assisted content ineligible. However, fully automated content without meaningful personal insight, analysis, reporting or creative transformation can be excluded from rewards. X also requires disclosures for certain synthetic media, including AI-generated material depicting armed conflicts.

This means the platform is drawing a distinction between using AI as a creative tool and using automated systems to mass-produce content without meaningful human contribution.

That distinction could become increasingly important as AI-generated posts, images and videos become more common across social networks.

Impact on X’s Creator Economy

Creator monetization is strategically important for X because creators generate much of the content that keeps users returning to the platform.

X initially launched its ad-revenue-sharing program globally in 2023, allowing eligible creators to receive a share of advertising revenue associated with content on the platform.

The new program moves away from that model and toward direct rewards based on qualified impressions and original contributions.

This could make X’s creator economy more closely aligned with its broader goal of encouraging users to produce content that generates sustained conversations rather than short-lived engagement.

Challenges Ahead

The biggest challenge will be ensuring that the new system is transparent and predictable enough for creators to understand how their earnings are calculated.

Qualified impressions are only one part of the equation, and creators may find it difficult to estimate how much revenue a particular level of reach will generate. X’s existing revenue-sharing system also considers factors such as verified Home Timeline impressions, who views the content and content format.

Another challenge will be enforcement. Determining whether a post contains sufficient original commentary or constitutes meaningful transformation can involve subjective judgments. X will need consistent moderation to avoid disputes with creators.

Industry Impact

X’s move reflects a wider trend across social platforms toward rewarding original creators while reducing incentives for content aggregation.

As AI makes it easier to generate and distribute large volumes of content, platforms face increasing pressure to distinguish between genuine creative work and automated content designed primarily to capture engagement.

The shift could encourage creators to invest more heavily in original reporting, analysis, video production and personal expertise. At the same time, platforms will increasingly need sophisticated systems to evaluate originality, attribution and the role of AI in content production.

Looking Ahead

X’s transition from Creator Revenue Sharing to Original Content Rewards represents a broader effort to reshape its creator economy around original contributions rather than simply rewarding high-volume engagement. The new system could benefit creators who consistently produce reporting, analysis, commentary and creative work, while making monetization more difficult for accounts dependent on reposts, aggregation or automated publishing. The effectiveness of the program will ultimately depend on whether X can make payouts sufficiently attractive and predictable to retain high-quality creators.

For creators and businesses using X as a distribution channel, the key factors to watch will be qualified-impression rules, payout levels, enforcement of originality standards and the treatment of AI-assisted content. The September transition will provide the first clear indication of how the new system affects creator earnings. If X successfully shifts financial incentives toward original work without making monetization too difficult to understand or access, the program could become an important part of the platform’s strategy to build a more sustainable creator ecosystem.