What is Average view duration?

Average view duration is a YouTube metric that shows how engaging your video is. If people are watching and replaying your video, it’s engaging and enjoyable to watch. If they bounce (close the video), your video doesn’t satisfy the viewer’s intent or needs to be more engaging.

So, a high view duration means that viewers stick around to watch your entire video. A low view duration shows that people only watch for a few seconds before moving on.

Good videos have an average view duration between 50-60%. High-performing videos have 70% or more.

YouTube algorithm favors videos with higher average view duration as they keep viewers on YouTube for longer.

So, improving your view duration is a great way to keep viewers engaged, encourage them to come back for more, and be favoured by the algorithm.

Average view duration formula:

[VIEW DURATION] = [TOTAL WATCH TIME OF A VIDEO] / [NUMBER OF PLAYS AND REPLAYS]