A year after the company said it would no longer submit its numbers for consideration, it’s reversed course

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In 2025, YouTube announced it would no longer submit its streams for Billboard consideration, due to the company’s decision to weigh subscriber streams more favorably than ones on the platform’s free, ad-supported tier. At the time, Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, referred to the change as an “outdated formula” that “ignores the massive engagement from fans who don’t have a subscription.” Well forget all of that, because YouTube has reversed course.

“We are returning to the Billboard charts starting in 2027,” Cohen wrote in an updated note to his original blog.…