What is YouTube watch time?

YouTube watch time is an important metric on the YouTube platform. Watch time refers to the total amount of time, in minutes or hours, that viewers have spent watching a video or a collection of videos on a channel. Watch time matters a great deal to YouTube, because the platform uses this metric to judge the popularity and value of a video or channel. The longer people watch a video, the more valuable and relevant YouTube considers the content. This affects how videos are ranked in search results and recommended to users. In 2012, YouTube made watch time a central factor in its algorithm to encourage channels and creators to produce high-quality content that users want to keep watching. The idea behind this was that videos that hold viewers’ attention and keep them on the platform longer probably contain better, more engaging content. For creators and marketers, this means that increasing watch time can help them perform better on the platform, gain more visibility and potentially generate more ad revenue.