Watch time: meaning and how it works

Watch time is the total amount of time viewers spend watching your videos.

It is YouTube’s key ranking signal and a requirement for monetisation. Read watch time explained.

How it works in practice

Platforms use watch time to decide what to recommend. A video that keeps people watching is shown to more people.

Example

Example: a 10-minute video watched for an average of 4 minutes contributes 4 minutes per view to your total watch time.