YouTube's new view-counting system will make videos look more popular: Will it pay more?

YouTube’s new exposure-based will make every video on the platform seem much more popular than it actually is as the new system starts counting a public view as soon as the first frame of the video gets played.

The new model will be applied across every format of the videos being uploaded on the platform, including shorts, podcasts, long-form videos and live streams.

The new model of counting video views will be implemented to every video uploaded after August 24. Despite the videos seemingly going more popular for many creators, the payment scheme of YouTube remains the same.

This comes 17 months after the successful experiment of a first-frame public view model on shorts. The change implemented in March last year saw an uptick in short-form views by 70%.

Previously, YouTube's public view count generally required a viewer to start watching a video before the platform counted the view. The new system instead focuses on the moment the video begins playing.

A higher view count can make a video look more popular at first glance and may encourage other users to click on it. It could also affect how creators compare the performance of newer uploads with older videos that were counted under the previous system.

The company has said the change to public view counts does not mean creators will automatically earn more money from their videos. This is because the number displayed publicly is different from the metrics used to determine advertising revenue and other creator earnings.