Google sent emails to YouTube publishers that their YouTube AdSense payments will be separated from their other AdSense payments. So if you get paid through Google AdSense for AdSense ads on your sites and also in YouTube, you will now get payments individually for each.
The issue is, that means each has to hit the $100 payment threshold individually and you might get paid out slower. That is, some publishers take time to hit the $100 payment threshold but when you combine AdSense for Search, AdSense for Content, YouTube and other earnings together, you can hit the $100 payment threshold sooner. Now that Google is paying YouTube out differently, it may take you longer to get a payment from Google if your payments are small – thus hurting smaller publishers.
Google sent an email saying “starting in March and rolling out over the next few months, you will have a dedicated way to view your YouTube earnings. Instead of combining YouTube with other AdSense earnings in one payments account, YouTube earnings will appear in a separate payments account.”
“The amount you earn will not change, however users with both YouTube and other AdSense earnings will have two separate payment accounts. Each payment account will need to reach the payment threshold which could influence your disbursement timing,” Google explained.
Here is the email (click to enlarge):
Forum discussion at Twitter.