YouTube is changing the way it counts video views globally from August 24, 2026, meaning a view will be recorded as soon as a video begins playing. The change will apply across YouTube's video formats and is expected to push public view counts higher because viewers will no longer need to watch for an extended period before a view is registered.
The move is designed to bring YouTube's different video formats under a more consistent view-counting system. YouTube said creators had asked for greater clarity because the platform had been using different approaches to measure views across formats.