What are 'Engaged' Views on YouTube?

Starting August 24, 2026, views across YouTube are counted from the first frame going forward — Shorts, Long Form, Podcasts, Live; all the formats. This is the new, standardized, consistent definition of a view. And the previous definition of a view will now be called an “engaged view.” So, what exactly is an engaged view?

What's the difference between a view and an engaged view?

A view is now defined as counting from the very first frame — whether that’s a Short appearing in the feed or a long-form video autoplaying on the Home page.

An engaged view is defined as watching past that initial first frame or clicking to watch. This has been, and will continue to be, how you qualify to earn (as long as the content is also public).

What's the difference between a view and a thumbnail impression?

If you see a thumbnail on a channel page, recommended on the home page, or suggested on the watch page and don’t interact with it in any way, that remains a thumbnail impression and is not counted as a view.

If you see a thumbnail on a channel page, recommended on the home page, or suggested on the watch page and you hover over it so it starts to autoplay, that is now counted as a view from the very first frame. If you let it keep playing for some amount of seconds after that first frame, it’s counted as an engaged view.

Same for a Short in the Shorts feed. The moment it starts to play, it’s counted as a view. If you let it keep playing for some amount of seconds after that first frame, it’s an engaged view.

Are clicks and taps counted as views or engaged views?

If you click or tap on a thumbnail and start to watch the video, that's counted as a view and an engaged view.

Are views or engaged views used to calculate YouTube Analytics or recommendations?

The way clicks and taps are counted hasn't changed, and the vast majority of analytics remain anchored on engaged views, so the way metrics like CTR, AVD, and retention are calculated hasn't changed.

Likewise, there's no change to recommendations — the algorithm — and no change to the YouTube Partner Program, that’s based on qualified views.