On Monday, YouTube announced a change in its view counting system, marking the start of a new era where views are counted as soon as a video begins playing or someone enters a live broadcast. This move comes after a year since it was implemented for Shorts videos and follows rivals TikTok and Instagram's similar approach.

The update aims to clarify metrics for creators, reducing confusion around view counts. However, it could also result in inflated view counts, particularly for videos that engage viewers briefly. Consequently, public view counts may no longer serve as reliable indicators of video popularity.

YouTube has retained the original ‘Engaged views’ metric through its Analytics tools to help creators understand genuine viewer engagement. Nonetheless, this change won't affect creators' earnings or their eligibility for monetization via the YouTube Partner Program.

The update is set to take effect on August 24th, following another recent shift that increased the required watch hours for new creators hoping to earn from ads and subscriptions in the future.