Watch time is the total cumulative amount of time people spend watching your video on YouTube. YouTube has confirmed that Watch Time is an important part of its search and discovery algorithm. It's also important to note that watch time is different from audience retention. According to YouTube, it takes 4000 hours of viewing in the last 12 months and 1000 subscribers to access the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
Public viewing hours on YouTube are the total number of hours people watched public videos on the channel. For example, Slow Mo Guys place cards on videos to increase YouTube watch time by promoting related videos or playlists. Generating 4000 hours of playback may seem like a daunting task, but it can be easily achieved if you spend time on your content and promotion strategies. In order to monetize YouTube, you must have had more than 4000 hours of valid public viewing in the last 365 days.
YouTube's long keyword targeting can help you get people to watch your videos instead of those of your competitors. If a new video is successful with initial views, interactions, and watch time, this sends a strong signal to YouTube that your video is working well. No, currently, the hours of watching you've earned with YouTube shorts aren't included in the 4000 hours of public viewing you have to reach before you can start earning money with YouTube AdSense. Thank you for writing such an informative post on how to get subscribers and hours of viewing on YouTube.
If you've reached 4000 hours of public viewing, but only in more than 363 days, unfortunately, you won't be able to apply for the YouTube Partner Program yet. With an increase in watch time, YouTube is more likely to promote your channel through recommended searches and videos, which in turn generates more views. Keep in mind that, in addition to 4000 hours of public viewing on YouTube, your YouTube channel must also have at least 1000 subscribers in order to apply for YPP and monetization. So how does YouTube judge the quality of videos to get the best search results for users? Giving priority to viewing time.
Watch time (or audience retention, as it's popularly referred to in YouTube analytics) is the total amount of time viewers spend watching your videos. No, you can't cheat to earn revenue from YouTube by running YouTube ads for views and hours of viewing, since the viewing hours of YouTube ads are not included in the public viewing hours requirements. Read our guide on "How Do Youtube Watch Hours Work?"
