Considering the fact that YouTube Shorts are one of the most view-generated content types on YouTube. Many people are confused about whether YouTube Shorts counts as watch time or not. This MiniTool Video Converter post will give you an answer.
What are Public Watch Hours on YouTube?
What do public watch hours mean on YouTube? It refers to the total amount of time that viewers have spent watching your public YouTube videos. It’s calculated based on the actual duration of the videos, not the playback speed or the time skipped by the viewers.
YouTube’s Partner Program requires creators to meet specific criteria before their channels can be monetized. One of the criteria is the 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months. For creators aiming to monetize their channels, every second is important.
However, not all types of views contribute equally, particularly when it comes to YouTube Shorts. Many YouTube content creators may wonder whether YouTube Shots count as watch time. Following is the answer.
Do YouTube Shorts Count as Watch Time?
Do YouTube Shorts count towards watch hours? Sadly, the answer is “no”. YouTube Shorts, despite being one of the hottest content formats within the YouTube platform, are not considered watch time for the YouTube Partner Program requirement. Watch time hours rely on long-form videos.
What’s more, you should pay attention to that other content is also not considered as watch time for YouTube. The examples include as following:
Private or unlisted videos: After 2019, YouTube decided to only publicly published videos accumulate towards YouTube Partner Program watch time.
Deleted content: YouTube erases the total watch hours once you delete a video.
Unconverted live streams: Live streams aren’t converted to public video content and will not convert into YouTube Partner Program watch hours.
YouTube ads: Counting for ads could mean that every YouTube channel owner who can pay for the ads can just literally buy YouTube Partner Program membership. So, it can’t be counted as watch time.
Tips for Increasing YouTube Watch Time
YouTube watch time is crucial for content creators and it’s also challenging to increase YouTube watch time. How to increase YouTube watch time? Fortunately, here are some tips you can refer to increase watch hours on your YouTube channel.
Pick a good title and thumbnail: If you want to increase watch time to 4,000 YouTube watch hours, you have to get viewers to click on your videos in the first place. Views will have a first glimpse of your thumbnail and title to see the main idea of your video.
Interact with your viewers: You can respond to their comments, ask for feedback, invite them to subscribe, turn on notifications, and more.
Creating engaging content: Create high-quality and engaging content to captivate your target audience and attract viewers’ attention.
Understand the YouTube algorithm: Understanding thealgorithm of YouTube or YouTube Shorts isgreat for increasing the watch time of your channel. More than 70% of the time users spend on YouTube is spent watching content recommended by algorithms. You can read the following article: YouTube Algorithm: Help to Increase Your YouTube Video Views to help you understand YouTube algorithm.
Encouraging viewers to watch more through end screens and annotations: The power of YouTube’s end screens and annotations can greatly enhance your videos, engage your audience, and appeal to viewers to watch more videos.
Come and try these tips to increase your watch time on YouTube.
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Bottom Line
Do YouTube Shorts count as watch time? After you read this post, you have gotten the answer. While YouTube Shorts do not count toward watch hours, they remain an essential tool for channel growth. They offer valuable visibility and engagement, being a stepping stone toward long-term success of the YouTube channel.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Libur is always willing to try new things and full of enthusiasm for life. At the same time, she is passionate about making fantastic movies. Now, she has become an English editor about multimedia in MiniTool. She is good at writing articles about video editing, video conversion, and screen recording. During her spare time, Libur loves climbing mountains and listening to music. By the way, her favorite singer is Taylor Swift.