YouTube streams will count toward Billboard charts again starting in 2027, the platform's Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, said in a blog post.
Cohen said YouTube's streaming metrics would return under Billboard's new methodology, which he said better reflects how fans listen to music across subscription and ad-supported services.
YouTube stopped sending data to Billboard for its chart rankings in January 2026. The company said the publication's formula was outdated because it gave more weight to subscription-supported streams than to ad-supported plays. YouTube later launched its own music charts.
Billboard said the new rules will take effect on Jan. 16, 2027, using data from Jan. 1–7. On the Billboard 200, one album consumption unit will equal 1,500 ad-tier streams or 1,000 paid-subscription official video and audio plays from a project's tracklist.
Under the current formula, one album consumption unit equals 2,500 ad-supported streams or 1,000 paid, on-demand official audio and video streams from an album's songs. It also equals one album sale or 10 individual track sales from an album.
Audiomack co-founder and music industry expert Brian Zisook said the increased weight for ad-supported consumption would lead to greater representation for hip-hop and Latin music on the Billboard charts.
