Watch time

Studio reports it as estimated minutes watched on a video and as watch hours at channel level. Roughly, it is average view duration multiplied by views, which is why a short video with excellent retention can still generate less of it than a long one people half finish. YouTube's ranking models have been trained to predict expected watch time since at least 2016, though the system now weighs satisfaction alongside it.

For Partner Programme eligibility only public long-form and live stream viewing counts. Shorts hours do not, and neither does time watched while a video sat unlisted or private, or time on anything you have since deleted.