YouTube Announces Return to Billboard Charts in January 2027

The streaming giant returns after Billboard revised its chart methodology for paid and ad-supported streams, as announced by YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen

YouTube rejoins Billboard charts following streaming rule changes

YouTube has announced that its streaming data will return to the Billboard charts in January 2027, following changes to the chart methodology.

YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, confirmed the decision in a blog post on Monday (November 9), stating that Billboard’s updated system better reflects how fans consume music across paid subscription and ad-supported platforms.

“We are returning to the Billboard charts starting in 2027,” Cohen wrote in an update. “Billboard’s new methodology better reflects how fans engage with music today across both subscription and ad-supported services.”

Under the new methodology, effective January 16, 1,500 ad-supported streams or 1,000 paid-subscription streams will equal one album consumption unit on the Billboard 200, compared to the previous requirement of 2,500 ad-supported streams.

YouTube withdrew its data from Billboard earlier this year over concerns about the weighting of ad-supported streams. The platform first joined Billboard’s charts in 2013.