YouTube Ends Billboard Streaming Data Partnership in 2026

YouTube announced on Wednesday that it will cease sharing its music streaming data with Billboard for U.S. charts after January 16, 2026, ending a partnership that has shaped hit rankings for over a decade. The decision stems from ongoing disagreements over how Billboard values streams from paid subscription services compared to ad-supported platforms like YouTube.

The move follows Billboard's announcement on December 16 of adjustments to its chart methodology, set to take effect with charts dated January 17, 2026. Under the previous system, Billboard equated 3,750 ad-supported official audio and video streams from an album's songs to one album unit, while 1,250 paid or subscription streams counted the same, creating a 3-to-1 ratio favoring paid streams. The new formula reduces those thresholds to 2,500 ad-supported streams and 1,000 paid streams per unit, narrowing the ratio to 2.5-to-1. Billboard described the changes as a way to reflect rising streaming revenue and evolving consumer behaviors, where streaming now accounts for 84 percent of U.S. recorded music revenue.

YouTube, however, argued that the revisions do not adequately address the undervaluation of ad-supported...