YouTube on ending its 10-year-long data sharing partnership with Billboard: They don’t want to make meaningful changes

YouTube has announced that it will stop submitting its music streaming data to Billboard for US chart calculations starting January 16, 2026. Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, criticised the current Billboard formula as “outdated” and claimed it “undervalues” the “massive fan engagement on YouTube.” The decision ends a decade-long partnership between the two companies.

The primary conflict stems from how Billboard ranks different types of streams.