Starting August 24, 2026, YouTube is changing its view counting system. A view will now be counted as soon as the video starts playing on the screen — even if the user swipes away or closes the video after one second.
A similar system is already used for Shorts. Now YouTube is extending it to regular videos and streams. As a result, many channels will have more public views.
What about monetization
There are no surprises here. For earnings, YouTube will continue to count Engaged Views separately — views where the user actually stayed with the content.
Therefore, a higher number under a video does not in itself mean that the creator suddenly gained a more engaged audience. YouTube has simply started counting views differently.
What is important when buying ads from creators
This is where the update becomes more interesting. After August 24, a channel’s views may increase noticeably simply because of the new counting rules. Therefore, higher numbers do not mean that the creator is actually reaching a larger audience or that the integration should cost more.
Those buying ads on YouTube should record the average views of the required channels before the update. After August 24, they should look not only at the counter under the video but also ask the creator for statistics from YouTube Analytics — this will make it easier to understand how the videos are actually being watched.
It is especially important to review agreements where the integration price or CPM is tied specifically to public views. After the update, views may increase on paper, although the traffic itself will not improve.
