YouTube changes how it counts Shorts views

YouTube has implemented a change to Shorts that introduces analytics similar to what rivals Instagram and TikTok do with their short-form content.

The video streaming giant will reportedly remove the minimum play time requirement for it to count as a view on the video.

Beginning March 31, a view will be added whenever a short is played or replayed. This means that Shorts creators will likely see higher view counts on content than before. This doesn’t change what YouTube will track analytically, as according to Engadget, YouTube will still track “engaged views,” which monitors the number of times that a short is watched for a certain duration.

Creators don’t need to worry, as the new change won’t affect creator earnings or eligibility in the partner program. Currently, YouTube’s Partner Program eligibility includes 1,000 subscribers, 4,000 active views in the last 12 months, or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the previous 90 days.

Instagram and TikTok defined a view as the time a video starts playing past a certain duration. Like YouTube, both offer services to track analytics such as time spent watching or other engagements (likes, comments, etc.). From personal experience, Instagram’s business analytics are easy to use. However, it only tracks year-to-date, and it can be tricky to find specific analytics.

YouTube has also made more changes to compete with its rivals. Back in October, YouTube implemented a similar policy to TikTok regarding runtime by expanding it to three minutes. TikTok’s current runtime limit is 10 minutes using the in-app camera or up to 60 minutes if uploaded from a device.

Source: Engadget