Technology Desk: The world's most popular video streaming platform YouTube has announced a major change in the way video views are counted. This new rule will come into effect from 24 August 2026. After this, a similar method of counting views will be adopted for both long form videos and Shorts on YouTube.
In the new system, there will be no requirement of any fixed watch time for any video to get views. As soon as a user plays the video, the initial moment itself will be counted as a view. Its direct impact will be visible on the public view count of the video and views on the videos of many creators may increase faster than before.
New rule will come into effect from August 24
YouTube has given information about this change on social media platform X. According to the company, now instead of having different view counting systems for different video formats, a uniform rule will be applied. This means that whether the video is long or in shorts format, when it is played, it will not be necessary to watch it for a certain time to get a view. YouTube says that the purpose of this change is to more clearly show the reach of creators on the platform. According to the company, a uniform view counting system could make it easier for creators to showcase their reach and popularity to brand partners.
Creators' total views may increase
The first impact of the new rule may be on the public view count of the video. If a large number of users play a video, even for a short period of time, those plays can be included in the views. For example, if someone opens a video and closes it a few seconds later, that play may still increase the video's public view count. For this reason, after the implementation of the new system, the total views of some videos may be seen increasing much faster than before.
Creators expected to benefit from brand deals
YouTube believes a more clear and uniform view counting system could help creators land sponsorships and brand deals. Brands often gauge a creator's reach by looking at the views of their videos. In such a situation, increasing public view count can make it easier for creators to showcase their reach to potential brand partners. However, total views are not the only thing that matters in brand deals. Statistics like video audience retention, average watch duration, and engagement also play an important role in determining the value of a creator.
No impact on YouTube Partner Program earnings
YouTube has also clarified that the new public view counting system will not have a direct impact on the earnings of creators under the YouTube Partner Program or YPP. YPP has different metrics related to earnings and eligibility. Therefore, increasing public view count does not mean that the creator's advertising earnings will also increase in the same proportion. YouTube also recently changed the watch time eligibility criteria for YPP for new creators. In such a situation, it will be necessary to understand public views and other metrics used for YPP separately.
Earlier the method of counting views was different
Before this change, YouTube counted views differently for different video formats. However, the company had not made public the complete technical information of the old system. YouTube first started implementing the new single view-counting standard for Shorts. Now a similar system is being implemented on other video formats including long form video.
Autoplay can also increase views
Regarding the new change, some creators have claimed that if a video autoplays on the home screen of the YouTube app and it plays even for a short period of time, then that can also increase the view count. If this happens, autoplay videos appearing in the Home feed may also increase creators' public views. However, a shorter video playing time may reduce the average watch time of the video proportionately. Therefore, even if the total views of a video increase, its audience retention does not necessarily remain the same.
Creators will continue to see the figures of Engaged Views
Along with changing public view counts, YouTube will make other important statistics available to creators. Creators will be able to see in their dashboard how many people actually watched the video. In this way, the public view count and the actual audience engagement of the video can be seen separately.
For example, a video may have a high number of public views, but if a large number of users skimmed the video within a few seconds, its average watch duration and retention may appear low.
Creators' reactions were mixed
The reaction of creators to this decision of YouTube is not uniform. Some creators are finding it beneficial to showcase their reach and brand value, while some fear that the new system may increase the gap between views and watch quality. YouTuber ArtChad expressed concern over this change, saying that many creators take brand integration deals worth around $15 to $20 per 1,000 views. Terms like average watch duration or retention can also be important in such a deal. If public views grow rapidly but a large percentage of them are people who only watched a few seconds of the video, the average watch duration may be lower. This may impact those brand deals in which retention is given importance.
Miles Above Tech expressed a different opinion
YouTuber Miles Above Tech said on the new system that if it does not have a negative impact on the creators' payout or RPM i.e. Revenue Per Mille, then the chances of creators making more long form videos may increase.
After this change, it will become more important for creators to understand the performance of their videos by looking at different statistics like public views, watch time, retention, engaged views and RPM.
Short-term view and the question of brand value
The biggest question with the new system is how brands will view the increased views. If a brand estimates a creator's reach based only on total views, the new system may benefit the creator. But big brands often don't rely only on views. They also look at how long viewers watch the video, how many people interact with the video, and how engaged viewers are with the content. In such a situation, if the average watch duration and retention of a video declines as the views increase, then these figures can be important in negotiating a brand deal.
There will be a difference between public views and real engagement.
After the new rule, it may be difficult to find out how many viewers watched the video over a long period of time by looking at the public view count of a video. This is why other metrics in YouTube Analytics will be important for creators. Public Views will show the reach of the video, while Engaged Views, Watch Time and Retention will help understand real audience engagement. After this new rule comes into effect from August 24, 2026, the public view counts of both long form videos and Shorts will be counted in the same way.