Billboard said on November 9, 2026 that it is changing how free streams count on its album charts. Starting with the Billboard 200 and the genre album charts dated January 16, 2027 (tracking week January 1 to 7), one album unit will equal 1,000 paid streams or 1,500 ad-supported streams. The ad-supported number was previously 2,500. The change was reported by Music Business Worldwide.
The paid-stream ratio stays where it was. Only the free side moves, which means a listen on an ad-supported tier now counts for roughly two thirds more toward an album unit than it did under the old formula.
YouTube returns to the charts
YouTube pulled its data from Billboard's charts after the chart dated January 31, 2026, objecting to the old weighting, which treated its largely free, ad-supported streams as worth less than paid ones. The new ratio is the change that brings it back.
YouTube's Lyor Cohen confirmed the return in a statement: "We are returning to the Billboard charts starting in 2027." Music Business Worldwide has the full report on the announcement, and Complex covered the reaction from the industry side.
Who stands to gain
Complex reports that analysts expect genres popular with young YouTube audiences to benefit from the shift. Those listeners lean heavily on free, ad-supported platforms, so their plays now carry more weight toward album chart position.
Brian Zisook of Audiomack, a platform with a large free-tier audience, told Complex he expects to see more Latin and hip-hop music on the charts as a result. That is a forecast from one executive, not a Billboard announcement. Billboard has not said anything about changes to its Latin charts, and this piece does not assume any.
What has not been spelled out
The announcement covers the Billboard 200 and the genre album charts. Billboard has not detailed how the new weighting will work for the Hot 100, so any claim about song chart mechanics is premature.
The January 16, 2027 chart reflects streaming from January 1 to 7, so the first results under the new formula will show up in early January. Those charts will be the first real test of whether the predicted shift toward YouTube-heavy and free-tier-heavy genres actually appears.