What are Video Views?
Video views indicate the number of times a video is streamed online. Different platforms measure video views, or viewer counts differently, so it can also refer to the number of times a video is played. For example, according to Facebook, a "video view" of 3 seconds of watching a video counts as one video view. For Twitter or LinkedIn, it is 2 seconds of watching.
Video Views—as defined by different Hosting Platforms.
Here's how any major hosting platform counts video views:
- Google or YouTube: 30 seconds of watching or engaging with a video (watching the ad, liking, commenting, etc.) counts as a view. For videos shorter than 30 seconds, the view count is registered on completion of the video.
- Facebook and Instagram: Streaming a video for 3 seconds counts as a view. For advertisers, if 97% of the video is watched, they will be charged.
- Twitter: Twitter counts a video view if 50% of the ad is viewed and at least 2 seconds or more of the video is watched.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn counts video views like Twitter; when 2 seconds of the video is watched with 50% of the ad in view.
Why track video views?
Video views are a key digital metric to measure the success of your marketing campaigns. It is coupled with related metrics like "retention rate" and "watch time" to get actionable insight into viewer behavior.
Bear in mind that these methodologies keep changing with time. So, make sure you regularly check and optimize your content strategy based on their official documentation.