YouTube BrandConnect vs Creator Partnerships: What Creators Need to Know
BrandConnect is now YouTube Creator Partnerships. The history from FameBit to BrandConnect to Creator Partnerships, what changed for creators, what stayed the same, and how to read old advice that still uses the BrandConnect name.
Search for "YouTube BrandConnect" and you'll find guides, agency pages and creator videos that use the name confidently. Many are describing a product that YouTube now calls something else. The name changed, the tools moved, and a few important things are new. This short guide untangles the terminology so you can read older advice correctly.
For how to use the current tool, see the full guide to YouTube Creator Partnerships. Details were checked against YouTube's help centre and blog in September 2026.
Quick answer
YouTube BrandConnect was YouTube's branded content platform connecting creators and advertisers. It began as FameBit, which Google acquired in 2016, and was renamed YouTube BrandConnect in 2020. In 2026 YouTube announced that its brand partnership tools were evolving into a centralised platform called YouTube Creator Partnerships (formerly known as BrandConnect), inside YouTube Studio for creators and Google Ads and Display & Video 360 for advertisers. If you read "BrandConnect" in older advice, treat it as the predecessor of Creator Partnerships and check current eligibility and features in Studio.
Timeline
| Period | Name | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2016 | FameBit | An independent influencer marketplace |
| 2016 | FameBit (Google-owned) | Acquired by Google |
| 2020 | YouTube BrandConnect | FameBit renamed; branded content platform for creators and advertisers |
| 2026 | YouTube Creator Partnerships | YouTube's tools centralised under one name, formerly BrandConnect |
Sources: YouTube's 2020 BrandConnect announcement and YouTube's 2026 Creator Partnerships announcement.
What's the same
- The purpose: helping brands find YouTube creators and run branded content with them.
- The need for disclosure: sponsored content still uses YouTube's paid promotion disclosure and, in India, ASCI's guidelines.
- The business basics: briefs, pricing, rights, reporting and payment still need to be agreed.
What's different for creators
| Area | Older BrandConnect-era advice | Creator Partnerships today (as YouTube describes it) |
|---|---|---|
| Where you manage it | Varied; often through separate programmes or invitations | A Creator Partnerships tab in the Earn section of Studio for eligible creators |
| Eligibility | Often described vaguely or by invitation | 18+, YPP, available country (India listed), no active strikes, monetization policies |
| Media kit | Mostly your own document | A customisable media kit with audience insights in Studio, alongside your own |
| Rates | Negotiated case by case | You can set desired rates for long-form and Shorts |
| Brand tools | Campaign management | Discovery, inquiries, partner access codes, partnership boosts, dynamic brand segments (availability varies) |
Official: YouTube's Creator Partnerships help page.
How to read older advice
- Replace "BrandConnect" with "Creator Partnerships" and check whether the feature described still exists.
- Ignore old eligibility numbers; use Studio's Earn section and the help centre.
- Be cautious with claims that you can "apply to BrandConnect" through third-party forms. Eligible creators see the tab in Studio.
- Advice about negotiating, disclosure and reporting is usually still valid.
Watch for scams using the old name
Because BrandConnect is a recognisable name, it's sometimes used in fake "partnership invitations". YouTube's tools live inside YouTube Studio; be suspicious of emails asking for fees, passwords or off-platform payments in YouTube's name. See how to spot fake brand collaboration offers.
Conclusion
BrandConnect is the earlier name for what YouTube now calls Creator Partnerships. The purpose is the same, but the tools now sit in Studio with clearer eligibility, a built-in media kit, rate preferences and new brand measurement and amplification tools. Read older advice with that translation in mind, and confirm details in Studio.