Start with your current contract
Everything depends on two clauses: the term and the notice period. Find the date the current term ends, whether it renews automatically, and how many days of written notice the network requires. Note how notice must be delivered; many agreements specify email to a particular address or a form inside the dashboard.
Send notice and get a release date
Send notice in writing and ask the network to confirm the exact date it will unlink the channel from its CMS. Ask, too, what happens to any Content ID assets it created for your videos. They should be released or handed over so your new network can register them again.
The gap between two networks
Once the old network unlinks the channel, the channel is no longer in its CMS. Until it is linked to the new network, monetization depends on the channel's own standing with YouTube, which can take some setup, such as reviewing your AdSense connection. Planning the new invitation for the same day as the release keeps that window short.
Earnings from the old network
Revenue earned while you were in the old network is normally paid by that network after YouTube settles those months, often one or two payouts after you leave. Ask for a written statement of the final months and keep your last reports, so you can check that every month was paid.
A simple checklist
- Read the term, renewal and notice clauses.
- Send written notice and keep proof of delivery.
- Get a confirmed unlink date and an answer on Content ID assets.
- Agree the new network's invitation date.
- Accept the invitation in YouTube Studio on that date.
- Track the old network's final payouts.