X Cracks Down on Repost Culture Launches Original Content Rewards Program to Replace Legacy Monetization.
X (formerly Twitter) has announced a major restructuring of its creator monetization model, replacing its existing revenue-sharing system for verified accounts with a new "Original Content Rewards Program"
The legacy monetization framework will remain active through September 7, 2026, with payouts proceeding on their normal schedule. However, new applications under the old scheme have been paused immediately. Starting September 8, 2026, eligible creators can apply for the new program directly via the updated Creator Studio dashboard.
According to X, the primary objective of the Original Content Rewards Program is to financially incentivize creators who publish authentic, original content—spanning breaking news, educational threads, narrative storytelling, and entertainment.
Eligibility Criteria:
Active subscription to X Premium (at minimum).
At least 500 Verified followers.
Minimum of 500,000 organic feed impressions from Verified users over the preceding 90 days (excluding replies).
Strict Non-Original Content Restrictions:
X devoted a significant portion of its announcement to explicitly defining non-original content that will be disqualified from monetization:
Directly copying or paraphrasing text from other X accounts.
Downloading and re-uploading photos or videos originally posted elsewhere.
Re-posting third-party video content accompanied by generic captioning (e.g., merely describing what happens in the video or posting irrelevant text).
Low-effort reaction videos that fail to add meaningful commentary or creative value.
Why doesn't X exclude replies from view counts? Under traditional pay systems, content creators often manipulate algorithms by generating controversial and low-effort replies on high-view posts or creating farms of engagement in comments. By restricting eligible views to key posts in the feed and requiring engagement from other verified users, X can effectively block automated reply bots and low-effort spam groups.
The detailed explanation of the strict ban on duplicate media uploads targets the pervasive trend of "aggregator" accounts. For years, viral accounts have thrived by copying TikTok, YouTube shorts, or clips from other X creators without attribution, adding minimal text, and raking in ad revenue. Disqualifying duplicate videos and superficial reaction clips will shift the financial incentive back to original video producers and journalists who dedicate their efforts to reporting and producing original content.
Advertisers have long expressed concerns about brand safety and content quality when programmatic ads appear alongside stolen, low-quality, or offensive media. By restricting ad revenue to verified original content creators, X aims to rebuild trust with major brand advertisers. This will help increase the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) for legitimate content creators participating in this new program.
Source: XCreators

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