<p>YouTube now have a Creator's Academy and I think they answer your question in this video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpjK416fmKwTwoORQiQTZ9exUZPlmLCb5&amp;v=UMc7ag0WPE4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Why Subscribers Matter</a> Basically, it matters how long a video is watched, this is measured. But a single view means a single "opening" of the video itself. (E.g., I can produce two views in a few seconds, but this won't matter so much to internal metrics other than views' count.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-21T09:49:07.613Z
2017-12-21T09:49:07.613Z
Mateva
<p>How does Youtube decide that a video was "viewed"?</p>

<p>If a video is 5 minutes long and a viewer watches for 10 seconds, will this be counted as a view?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T03:43:22.950Z
Mighr be more relevant on SuperUser or ServerFault?
stib
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T13:35:58.140Z
@Stib - this would not be on topic on either SuperUser or ServerFault.  It would be on web apps, but I think it is very on topic here too.  It's asking about how the view count in a major video distribution system works.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T16:18:42.363Z
@AJHenderson@Stib Thanks for listening. I already asked this question on the other sites. I was really undecided.
LCarvalho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T16:22:05.597Z
@LCarvalho - I will point out that generally speaking, you should pick one site to post it on, not post the same question on multiple sites.  If the question doesn't have other quality issues, it can be migrated to the appropriate location and having the exact same question multiple places just spreads out answers and makes information harder to find and makes migrations more complicated.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T16:25:01.227Z
@AJHenderson I understand your question, but generally when I need to migrate my question to those who have this privilege, many do not conclude.
LCarvalho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T16:26:17.690Z
Perhaps you can upload a video as private/unlisted, view it for various durations then check when the stats are updated. Make sure no else has permission to view it.
Gyan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-12T16:40:33.997Z
@LCarvalho that may be due to the question either being a reasonable fit on the site it is on or because it is not flushed out enough to be worth migrating.  My point was just that it is frowned upon to post the exact same question on multiple SE sites as it causes issues.
AJ Henderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-13T12:45:36.887Z
True, it is relevant for people producing video, but the people who can answer it are people familiar with web apps and the server side of things, wouldn't you say?
stib
<youtube>
What counts as a "View" on Youtube?
LCarvalho
# What counts as a "View" on Youtube?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-12)

How does Youtube decide that a video was "viewed"?

If a video is 5 minutes long and a viewer watches for 10 seconds, will this be counted as a view?

**Tags:** youtube

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Mighr be more relevant on SuperUser or ServerFault?  
> **username_2**: @Stib - this would not be on topic on either SuperUser or ServerFault.  It would be on web apps, but I think it is very on topic here too.  It's asking about how the view count in a major video distribution system works.  
> **username_0**: @AJHenderson@Stib Thanks for listening. I already asked this question on the other sites. I was really undecided.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 - I will point out that generally speaking, you should pick one site to post it on, not post the same question on multiple sites.  If the question doesn't have other quality issues, it can be migrated to the appropriate location and having the exact same question multiple places just spreads out answers and makes information harder to find and makes migrations more complicated.  
> **username_0**: @AJHenderson I understand your question, but generally when I need to migrate my question to those who have this privilege, many do not conclude.  
> **username_3**: Perhaps you can upload a video as private/unlisted, view it for various durations then check when the stats are updated. Make sure no else has permission to view it.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 that may be due to the question either being a reasonable fit on the site it is on or because it is not flushed out enough to be worth migrating.  My point was just that it is frowned upon to post the exact same question on multiple SE sites as it causes issues.  
> **username_1**: True, it is relevant for people producing video, but the people who can answer it are people familiar with web apps and the server side of things, wouldn't you say?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-12-21. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

YouTube now have a Creator's Academy and I think they answer your question in this video: [Why Subscribers Matter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpjK416fmKwTwoORQiQTZ9exUZPlmLCb5&v=UMc7ag0WPE4) Basically, it matters how long a video is watched, this is measured. But a single view means a single "opening" of the video itself. (E.g., I can produce two views in a few seconds, but this won't matter so much to internal metrics other than views' count.)


---

