YouTube is testing new internal metrics to measure video success

YouTube is reportedly testing two new internal metrics to determine which videos should be considered hits and featured more in Recommendations. Previously, YouTube relied solely on engagement to measure a video's success, as a video with a lot of comments and other interactions would get more views. If a video receives enough views, comments, and likes it will be considered a success regardless of what was in the video itself.

According to a report from Bloomberg, YouTube is testing ways to measure time spent watching “high-quality” content. Sources told Bloomberg that an internal metric called “quality viewing time” is being tested to identify content that offers something constructive. How this will work has not been determined yet but ideally, the “good watch time” metric will measure content that does more than just keep users on YouTube.

Another metric being tested is tracking the total time people spend on YouTube, as well as the comments they read and post. YouTube has been working on these metrics for the past two years, the report says, with the goal being to reduce the spread of videos with misleading titles. The company's current focus on watch time has been the subject of criticism, with people saying it rewards weird and offensive videos especially when it comes to recommendations.

YouTube's new metrics will impact more than just recommendations and suggestions, according to Bloomberg sources who recently published a report on the issue. The new metrics will also determine how YouTube ranks search results, runs ads, and pays video creators. We do not know when these new standards will be adopted, but from my experience and my follow-up of this platform, I believe that it has adopted them, albeit gradually, some time ago, but we are awaiting an official announcement and more clarifications.

#YouTube News #Video Success #YouTube