YouTube is updating its view counting method for YouTube Shorts to enhance creators' insights into their content performance. Starting March 31, 2025, views will be counted each time a Short starts to play or replay, eliminating the previous requirement of a minimum watch time. This change will likely result in higher view counts.
YouTube aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Shorts visibility, acknowledging creators' requests for better performance metrics. The original view metric will be retained as “engaged views” in YouTube Analytics > Advanced Mode, allowing creators to track how many viewers continue watching their Shorts.
Importantly, this update will not affect monetization or eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program, which will still rely on engaged views. The new Shorts views metric will be visible across the platform, helping creators refine their content strategies and better showcase their work to potential partners.
