YouTube has already paid out $12 billion to rightsholders through Content ID

Rightsholders are increasingly choosing monetization over removal of their content on YouTube, the platform’s latest “Copyright Transparency Report” shows.

According to the report, YouTube has paid out $12 billion of ad revenue to rightholders as of December 2024 from content claimed and monetized through Content ID.

That’s the company’s automated digital fingerprinting system used to easily identify and manage copyrighted content on YouTube.

The number is up from more than $9 billion at the end of 2023, suggesting Content ID payouts of $3bn last year. The system is used by music rightsholders, film studios, games companies, and other media and entertainment outlets.

“Rightsholders can choose which policy to apply to a claim: they can leave it up and make money from it; leave it up and track viewing statistics; or block it from being viewed. In 2024, rightsholders chose to monetize over 90% of all Content ID claims,” YouTube said in the report.

If YouTube indeed paid out $3 billion to rightsholders in 2024 alone, the firm could certainly afford it. That year, the company’s overall advertising revenues reached $36 billion.

In 2024, YouTube processed more than 2.2 billion copyright claims through its automated Content ID system, a new record in the platform’s history. More than 99% of these claims were initiated without human input, highlighting the scale of automation involved in protecting copyrighted works online.