YouTube is changing how views are counted for Shorts, starting March 31, 2025.
A view will now be counted when a Short starts playing or replays, with no minimum watch time required.
Previously, a view was only counted after a certain duration of watching.
This change is meant to give creators a more accurate sense of reach, especially when sharing content across platforms.
The old view metric, which required a minimum watch time, will now be labeled as “Engaged Views” and can still be found in YouTube Analytics under Advanced Mode.
Monetization and eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program will continue to rely on Engaged Views, not the new Shorts view count.
As a result, creators may notice an increase in view counts going forward.
This update helps better evaluate the initial performance of Shorts for strategy and potential collaborations.For advertisers running Video View Campaigns through Google Ads, this change doesn’t affect billing.
You won’t be charged for every play or replay of a Short.
That said, completion rates for Shorts tend to be low, so consider this carefully when using Shorts in such campaigns.
Thanks for making me aware of this change Georgi Zayakov.
