Key facts
- YouTube said it will resume sharing streaming data with Billboard in 2027, after stopping in December 2025.
- Billboard's new formula makes 1,000 paid streams equal 1,500 ad-supported streams, down from 2,500.
- Lyor Cohen, YouTube's global head of music, said streaming makes up 84% of U.S. recorded music revenue.
YouTube said on November 9, 2026 that it will resume sharing its streaming data with Billboard in 2027, ending a disagreement over how music streams count toward chart rankings. The announcement was made on a Monday, according to the report.
The dispute began in December 2025, when YouTube said it would stop sharing its streaming data with Billboard. The company argued that the chart formula favored paid subscriptions while not giving enough credit to fans who listen for free with ads. At the time, Lyor Cohen, YouTube's global head of music, criticized the system in a blog post, saying it did not reflect how people listen to music. "Billboard uses an outdated formula that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported," Cohen wrote, adding that streaming makes up 84% of U.S. recorded music revenue.
Under Billboard's previous formula, 1,000 paid streams counted the same as 2,500 ad-supported streams. Billboard has now updated its formula, reducing the gap between the two types of streams. Under the new system, 1,000 paid streams will equal 1,500 ad-supported streams when calculating album consumption units, compared with 2,500 under the previous formula. Paid streams will still count for more, but free streams will now have a bigger impact on chart positions.
YouTube's return could make a difference for many artists, especially independent musicians and those with large international fan bases, according to the report. Music videos, live performances, lyric videos and other content on the platform help artists reach new audiences, and with YouTube's data back in the mix, more of that activity will now count toward their Billboard performance. For Billboard, getting YouTube's data back also means having a more complete picture of how people listen to and discover music.