• by Colin Kirkland , March 26, 2025

YouTube has redefined what a “view” means for its short-form video feature, aligning more closely with policies set by TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Traditionally, YouTube has not counted a view for a creator’s video unless a user watches 30 seconds or more of the upload. Now, however, Shorts views will count the number of times a creator’s Short starts to play or replay.

YouTube says that the change won’t affect how much a creator monetizes from their content, but it will increase the amount of views on any given Shorts video. 

According to the Google-owned company, the changes have been made because it wants creators to more easily understand how many times their Shorts are being seen on the platform, offering a deeper level of transparency regarding the reach of their content so they can better facilitate content strategies when working with brand partners. 

Both TikTok and Instagram Reels -- direct competitors of YouTube Shorts -- track the number of times users’ videos start or are replayed. 

Creators will still be able to compare these new view counts to the original view counts, which are now being called “engaged views” within YouTube Analytics’ Advanced Mode. 

Creators’ earning will still be based on engaged views, as not to alter the amount of money they are making or their eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program. 

YouTube will begin enforcing the new Shorts view count on March 31.