YouTube Shorts Updates View Count Rules to Match TikTok and Instagram—No More Minimum Play Time?

After the arrival of the YouTube Shorts "remix" feature last year, the video-streaming giant is making another major change to its view-counting policy.

Starting March 31, a "view" will be counted whenever a Short is played or replayed, ditching the earlier watch time requirement. This is a great chance for creators to increase their clips' view counts without affecting their earnings or ability to get into the YouTube Partner Program.

YouTube Eliminates Minimum Play Time Requirement for Views

YouTube Shorts Updates View Count Rules to Match TikTok

Earlier, YouTube used to ask viewers to watch a Short for a certain amount of time before it would be counted as a view. This limitation made it hard for creators to get an accurate idea of their reach. With the latest update, YouTube Shorts will register a view the instant a clip begins playing.

Apparently, YouTube is not alone in this league, as this method is the same as TikTok and Instagram's view calculation. For sure, content creators are happy with this since comparing their performance on different platforms is now made easier.

Increased View Counts Coming for Creators

With the end of the minimum playtime requirement, creators can anticipate increased view counts once the policy is implemented. It will provide a better reflection of how many viewers are interacting with content, thus allowing creators to have better insight into their audience and content performance.

Engaged Views Still Relevant for Monetization

Even though the method of counting views will be changing, YouTube Shorts will still count "engaged views" to decide about monetization and qualification for the YouTube Partner Program.

Engaged views are those watched for a minimum amount of time, so creators who make engaging content will still receive their rewards.

Why YouTube Is Aligning with TikTok and Instagram

With YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok each boasting more than a billion monthly users, it is reasonable that YouTube would align its metrics to meet industry standards.

According to Engadget, standardizing view count definitions across platforms creates consistency. This way, creators can better evaluate not only their performance but also the audience engagement.