YouTube Returns to Billboard as Ad-Supported Streams Gain Weight

YouTube will resume sharing its streaming data with Billboard in 2027, ending a dispute over how ad-supported listening counts toward music charts. The company confirmed the reversal Monday, after Billboard changed its formula to give free, ad-supported streams more weight.

Why did YouTube stop sharing data?

The conflict began in December 2025, when YouTube said it would halt streaming-data sharing with Billboard. YouTube argued that the old formula favored paid subscriptions and gave insufficient credit to listeners who streamed music for free with advertising.

Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, wrote in a blog post: “Billboard uses an outdated formula that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported.” He also wrote: “Streaming is the primary way people experience music, making up 84% of U.S. recorded music revenue.”

Cohen said the formula did not reflect current listening habits and overlooked engagement from fans without subscriptions. YouTube also said millions of fans discover and support artists through free, ad-supported listening, which the chart formula insufficiently recognized.

The 84% figure measures streaming’s share of U.S. recorded music revenue. It does not establish YouTube’s market share, the volume of chart-eligible YouTube streams or any expected gain for an individual artist.

What changed in Billboard’s formula?

Under the previous formula, 1,000 paid streams counted as the equivalent of 2,500 ad-supported streams. Under the revised system, 1,000 paid streams will equal 1,500 ad-supported streams when Billboard calculates album consumption units. Paid streams will still count for more, but ad-supported listening will now have a larger effect on chart positions.

What does YouTube’s return change for artists and marketers?

For independent artists and musicians with large international fan bases, restored YouTube data could make ad-supported listening more influential in chart placement than the old formula permitted. Music videos, live performances, lyric videos and other platform content help artists reach new audiences; once YouTube data returns, that activity can contribute more directly to Billboard performance.

The confirmed change concerns chart calculation, not a guaranteed commercial result. The announcement supplies no artist-revenue, campaign-cost or audience-reach projections, so campaign teams have no basis for increasing spending. Any claim that a particular release will chart higher remains speculation until the 2027 data and revised formula produce an outcome.

What does Billboard gain from the return?

For Billboard, the return restores visibility into a major source of music consumption. Without YouTube’s data, the chart company lacked a complete view of how listeners streamed and discovered music; with the data restored, it can measure more of that activity.

The policy reversal settles the immediate reporting dispute. The next test comes in 2027, when restored YouTube data and the revised weighting show how much ad-supported listening shifts chart positions.