YouTube is set to return to the Billboard charts in 2027, ending a dispute over how streams from paid subscriptions and free, ad-supported services are counted towards chart rankings.
The announcement, made on 9 November, follows Billboard's decision to revise its chart methodology, giving greater weight to ad-supported streams on rankings including the Billboard 200 and Hot 100.
In an update to a previous blog post, YouTube's Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, confirmed the platform's return, stating: "Billboard’s new methodology better reflects how fans engage with music today across both subscription and ad-supported services."
The move reverses YouTube's decision to withdraw its streaming data from Billboard's charts earlier this year, following disagreements over how the publication valued different types of music consumption.
Under the current system, streams from paid subscription services carry significantly more weight than those from free, ad-supported platforms. For the Billboard 200, 1,000 paid-subscription streams are equivalent to one album consumption unit, compared with 2,500 ad-supported streams.
Beginning with the 16 January 2027 chart, which reflects streaming activity from 1 to 7 January, Billboard will narrow that gap. Under the revised formula, one album consumption unit will be equivalent to:
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1,000 paid-subscription streams, unchanged from the current system.
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1,500 ad-supported streams, reduced from the previous requirement of 2,500.
An album consumption unit will also continue to represent one album sale or 10 individual tracks sold.
The changes mean that ad-supported streams will contribute more towards an artist's chart performance, although paid-subscription streams will still carry greater weight.
YouTube originally announced its withdrawal in December 2025, arguing that Billboard's approach undervalued the engagement generated by listeners who access music through free services.
The platform stopped supplying streaming data to Billboard in January, with its figures no longer included in charts dated from 31 January 2026.
The disagreement marked a significant interruption in a partnership stretching back more than a decade. YouTube's streaming data was first incorporated into Billboard's song charts, including the Hot 100, in 2013, before being added to the Billboard 200 in 2019.
Billboard began assigning greater weight to paid-subscription streams in 2019, citing differences in consumer engagement, access, and the revenue generated by different streaming models.
Its latest methodology update follows an annual review of streaming revenue data conducted alongside chart data provider Luminate, with the revised calculations intended to better reflect the changing economics of music consumption.
For artists, particularly those with substantial audiences on YouTube, the platform's return could have a meaningful impact on chart performance. Official music videos and other eligible streamed content will once again contribute to Billboard rankings, bringing a significant source of music consumption back into the calculations.
While YouTube has confirmed that its data will return in 2027, it has not specified an exact date for its reintroduction. Billboard's updated streaming methodology will take effect with its charts dated 16 January 2027.
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