When it comes to social media, what exactly is a video view? The answer might seem obvious – someone who watched your video, duh! But in reality, what counts as a view isn’t so simple. And to add to that complexity, every social platform has a different way to count video views.
What is a Facebook Video View?
Facebook’s video count criterion is far from stringent. Videos only need to be played for 3 seconds in order to be counted – this includes videos that auto play on mute in the newsfeed. Desktop videos need to be completely visible on the screen in order to be counted, however, mobile views only have to be visible on half the screen. Facebook also counts views that are played outside the newsfeed, such as in private groups or embedded links.
What is an Instagram Video View?
Much like its parent company, Instagram views are counted after 3 seconds and includes videos that auto play on mute in the feed. But unlike Facebook, Instagram’s view count doesn’t include plays from embedded posts or even desktop. And although Instagram videos loop automatically, loops are not included in the view count. The same rules apply to Boomerangs. Instagram Stories are considered viewed the moment a user opens the Story. It also provides each of the specific users who viewed the story.
What is a Twitter Video View?
Like its competitors, Twitter views are counted when the video has been watched for at least 3 seconds and includes muted videos that auto play in the feed. Videos must be 100% viewable on all device screens for the 3 seconds to be counted and includes plays across private messages and embedded links.
What is a Snapchat Video View?
Unlike Facebook and Instagram, users must actively open videos in Snapchat to play them. Each time a user opens a video on screen, a view is counted regardless of whether that video is watched in full or for a fraction of a second. This goes for all videos – private Snapchats, Stories, and advertisements
What is a YouTube video view?
When it comes to counting video views, YouTube has the strictest requirements of the bunch. As far as advertising goes, views are only charged when a user watches the video for 30 seconds or more. They are not charged when users press the “Click to skip” button within the 30-second mark. Organic views work a little differently. YouTube counts a view if a specific percentage of a video’s length has been played. This means that for some videos, only 10 seconds need to be watched for it to count as a view, while a longer video might need to be played for 20 seconds. Additionally, YouTube only counts views from the same IP address in breaks of 6-8 hours, so viewers can’t watch a video on repeat in attempt to boost view count.
