Is buying a monetized youtube channel against TOS 2026

Technically, yes — buying or selling a channel runs against YouTube's Terms of Service, which treat the account and its associated service as non-transferable. Brand Account transfers exist as a real technical feature, but using them specifically to facilitate a sale is still an unauthorized use of that feature in YouTube's eyes.

In practice, this means a sudden ownership change — especially one paired with a new linked AdSense account, location shift, or primary-owner swap — can occasionally draw scrutiny and, in rare cases, lead to demonetization or termination. Most transfers go through without incident when handled carefully (Brand Account method, escrow, gradual account security updates), but buyers and sellers should understand the underlying ToS risk going in.