YouTube has decided to pull its music streaming data from Billboard, a move that will see activity from the platform excluded from Billboard’s charts starting January 16, 2026. The decision follows years of discussions between the two organisations over how different types of music streams are valued and reflected in chart rankings.

According to a Hollywood Reporter report, the disagreement centres on Billboard’s current methodology, which gives higher weight to subscription-based streams compared to ad-supported streams. YouTube has maintained that this distinction no longer reflects how audiences consume music today, with fans increasingly engaging across a mix of paid subscriptions, free ad-supported listening, and video-based formats.

“YouTube is where billions of fans worldwide connect with music,” the platform said in a statement, highlighting the role of official music videos, live streams, and widely followed formats such as NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. The company argued that artists invest significantly in building communities on YouTube and that this sustained engagement is not adequately recognised under Billboard’s existing framework.