• YouTube Shorts is set to change the way it counts views on its platform.
• It is moving away from counting views based on how many seconds a video is watched,
• The change may be in an effort to court more users to favour its platform over others like TikTok or Reels.

Social media and content creation is a numbers game, and one of the more important metrics is views. Different platforms employ different methods to count their views, and now YouTube Shorts is making a change to its method.

In a video (embedded below) posted to its official Creator Insider channel, YouTube detailed the change.

Previously, YouTube Shorts would be counted as views based on how many seconds a viewer watched said video. The precise figure has not been shared, but this ambiguity may have caused some confusion, and now the method is far simpler.

To that end, moving forward, a view will be counted based on when a YouTube Shorts video begins to play or replay.

This new counting method should see the number of views for creator videos on YouTube Shorts increase, as YouTube says that many creators have provided feedback on the previous system. Per TechCrunch, they noted that creators wanted to know how often their videos are actually seen.

The more accurate metrics are believed to be a valuable tool in helping creators more actively engage with brands, as well as determine precisely what kind of return on investment they can deliver.

While YouTube has not hinted as much, we also think another reason for the change may be to court more creators over to its platform instead of those from rivals like TikTok and Reels. Whether it will do so remains to be seen, as we still often see the TikTok watermark on popular videos for YouTube Shorts.

The change is said to take effect from 31st March 2025.