By Jonathan Baker A change is coming to YouTube that the video platform is literally counting on. Early next week, a new method for tabulating public video views will go into effect. What is this new method, and what might it mean for marketers and creators? Beginning of Playing Time Equals a View Beginning Monday, August 24, YouTube will count a public view from the moment a video begins playing. YouTube’s previous, stricter view-counting threshold is being replaced. Does this sound familiar? YouTube adopted a similar counting system for Shorts last year. Additionally, this new system is comparable to the tabulation methods of TikTok and Instagram. (YouTube also emulated these platforms for the adjustment to YouTube Shorts.) In short, the YouTube Shorts view-counting model is now expanding to long-form videos, live streams, and podcasts. Naturally, many are asking: “Why?” YouTube’s Rationale Rene Ritchie, a creator employed at YouTube, posted a video explaining that consistency across the platform was the primary reason for this change. By aligning this tabulation with that of YouTube Shorts, the hope is there will be less confusion about what constitutes a video view across YouTube’s different formats. While creators may welcome the prospect of larger view counts, marketers should recognize that bigger numbers do not necessarily mean deeper engagement. View Counts for Creators Mr. Ritchie points out that greater audience activity will be captured under a single view metric through this new tabulation system. Creators will have a broader metric to help demonstrate their reach to brand partners and sponsors. They will also have access to an “engaged views” metric on YouTube. This metric will determine the number of viewers who continue watching videos beyond initial impressions. Importantly, YouTube states this update will not affect creator earnings or eligibility for monetization. While there may be surface benefits to YouTube’s change in video view count, there are other considerations that could prove complicated… Gauging Engagement As observed in EMARKETER, the upcoming tabulation change will greatly inflate viewership figures to creators who partner with YouTube. As view counts increase, creators may appear to have larger audiences than they actually do when engagement is measured more closely. These inflated views won’t accurately indicate genuine engagement. They will therefore not serve as a reliable metric to marketers who evaluate the popularity of specific creators. Compounding this realization is the obvious magnitude of YouTube. YouTube Far and Wide It is no surprise that content on YouTube is likely seen by nearly anyone who has access to the Internet. The platform has also become increasingly popular in over-the-top (OTT) video viewing. A reported 71 percent of audiences are predicted to watch content on connected television (CTV) this year. Corresponding with this percentage, EMARKETER reports that advertising revenues are double that of major streaming services, including Amazon and Netflix. These findings point to how, with this new tabulation of counting video views, marketers will need to adjust their methods of analyzing engagement on YouTube. Keeping it Real Marketers must not be lulled into being overly optimistic of the abovementioned “surface benefits” promised by YouTube’s new method of calculating video counts. Ross Benes, senior analyst at EMARKETER, states that marketers should “close their ears” to claims that YouTube (or any platform, for that matter) can gain viewership that surpasses that of major cultural events. As view counts become a measure of exposure rather than engagement, marketers will need to place greater emphasis on watch time, retention, and engaged views. The result is not simply a larger number on the screen, but a shift in how success on YouTube should be evaluated. In Closing The change to YouTube’s view-counting system is a modern example of appearance versus reality. While creators gain a broader measure of exposure, marketers will need to look beyond headline view counts. As public view counts become easier to accumulate, audience attention may become YouTube’s most valuable metric. EGC Group is keeping an eye on changes taking place across all social media platforms. If your brand is promoted on YouTube and you have concerns about how the new video view calculations might affect representation or visibility, contact us.
