Understanding YouTube view counts is crucial for content creators. Traditionally, YouTube counted a view on regular videos after 30 seconds of watch time. However, YouTube Shorts initially used a shorter, unspecified duration.
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Effective March 31, 2025, YouTube Shorts will count a view the moment a video begins playing, eliminating any minimum watch time. This means replays will also be counted as new views.
YouTube cites creator feedback as the driving force behind this change, aiming for a more accurate reflection of Shorts’ performance.
While public view counts will reflect this new method, the previous metric, now called “engaged views,” will remain accessible in YouTube Analytics’ Advanced Mode.
This change will likely result in significantly higher view counts for Shorts creators. This increase reflects the number of users who encountered the content, regardless of watch time, rather than a surge in actual viewership.
