In Studio Content Manager, a policy is a set of rules that specify how to handle claimed videos.
When a video is claimed, the policy determines how one or more of these rules are applied:
Monetize: Allow the video to be viewed with ads.
Track: Allow the video to viewed without ads; collect statistics about video views.
Block: Don't allow the video to be viewable on YouTube.
You can apply the 3 actions (monetize, track, or block) to 2 different types of policies:
- Upload policies: Policies applied to claimed videos that are uploaded by channels linked to your Content Manager.
- Match policies: Policies applied to claimed videos that other YouTube users upload when they're claimed by Content ID.
Learn more about upload and match policies.
How a claim policy works
A claim policy is made up of one or more "if-then" rules. Those rules decide which action to take (monetize, track, or block) when certain conditions are met. For example, if you only want to monetize a video for viewers in the United States and Canada, the policy would be:
| Condition | Action |
|---|---|
| (1) If the user’s location is the United States or Canada | Monetize the video |
| (2) If the user’s location is elsewhere | Block the video |
More than one partner can have a valid claim on the same video in the same territory. For example, one partner may claim the visual portion and another partner the audio portion.
When multiple partners have valid claims on a video, and therefore multiple valid policies, whichever policy results in the most restrictive action will be applied. Learn more about how policies are applied.
Choosing a claim policy
A user’s location is the most common condition for a claim policy, but other conditions can be selected. In general, it's best to create policies that apply worldwide. Territory rules should only be included when you need to treat viewers differently within the territories where you own rights.
There are three predefined policies you can choose from:
- Monetize in all countries
- Track in all countries
- Block in all countries
You can also learn how to create custom policies for more control over your content.