YouTube has announced a significant change to its public view count rules. Starting August 24, the platform will begin counting views from the very first frame of a video, eliminating the previous requirement for a minimum playback time.
According to the company, payments through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) will still be tied to the old counting method rather than the updated public counter.
The new rules will apply to long videos, Shorts, and live streams. Previously, views for long videos and live streams were only counted after 30 seconds of playback. The old counting method will still be available in an expanded analytics mode called Engaged Views.
While the entry requirements for the program remain unchanged, YouTube has rebranded them as Qualified Shorts Views and Qualified Watch Hours.