YouTube to resume sharing streaming data with Billboard after chart formula change

YouTube plans to start sharing its streaming figures with Billboard again in 2027, settling a dispute over how free and paid music streams should count toward chart rankings, TechCrunch reported. The announcement, made on Monday, follows a revision of Billboard's chart methodology that increases the value of streams supported by advertising.

How the dispute started

The disagreement dates back to December 2025, when YouTube said it would no longer provide its data to Billboard. The video platform argued that the chart system rewarded paid subscription listening too heavily and undervalued fans who listen for free with ads. Lyor Cohen, YouTube's global head of music, described the method at the time as an "outdated formula" in a blog post, adding that streaming accounts for 84% of recorded music revenue in the United States.

What changes in the formula

Under the old rules, 1,000 paid streams were treated as equal to 2,500 ad-supported streams. Billboard's updated approach narrows that gap considerably:

• 1,000 paid streams will now equal 1,500 ad-supported streams when album consumption units are calculated.
• Paid streams still carry more weight than free ones.
• Free, ad-supported listening will have a larger effect on where songs and albums land on the charts.

According to the report, the return of YouTube's data could matter most for independent artists and for musicians with large international audiences, whose music videos, live recordings and lyric videos on the platform will once again feed into their chart performance. For Billboard, restoring the data fills a significant gap in its view of how people find and listen to music, since excluding one of the most widely used platforms left out a large share of consumption.

What it means for online platforms

For readers following internet services and digital media, the episode shows how much influence large platforms hold over industry measurement systems, and how the balance between subscription and ad-supported models continues to shape the online economy. Sites and services that track music trends, as well as creators who publish on video platforms, may see chart data reflect free listening more closely once the change takes effect.