Starting September 1, 2026, "VK Video" will expand its partner program and open monetization for authors with an audience of 1,000 subscribers or more. Currently, channels with at least 5,000 subscribers can join.

Audience size alone will not be enough. Authors must publish original content and accumulate at least 500 hours of total video views within the last 90 days. A three-month adaptation period will be provided for those who do not yet meet this requirement.

VK explains the change by its desire to make the partner program more accessible to aspiring authors. At the same time, the main focus will remain on channels that regularly release their own content and grow their audience.

According to Mediascope, in the first half of 2026, the average daily active audience of "VK Video," excluding views through embedded players on third-party sites, was about 4 million people. Earlier, VK reported that in January, the service's audience reached 42.2 million users, compared to 41.1 million in December 2025.