Cost per view (CPV)
Cost per view (CPV) is spend divided by the number of video views, where a 'view' is defined by the platform. On YouTube, for example, a TrueView view on Shorts counts at 10 seconds watched or completion. CPV is useful for awareness campaigns, but only comparable between ads that use the same view definition.
Updated
Formula and example
CPV = spend ÷ views.
Example: $1,200 spent for 60,000 counted views is a CPV of $0.02.
When CPV is the right metric
If the goal is for people to watch a message, such as a launch, a brand story or an explainer, CPV measures the cost of exactly that. It is less useful for direct-response campaigns, where a cheap view that leads to nothing is not a success.
Making views cheaper
- Strong openings raise the share of impressions that become views.
- Shorter ads are completed more often, which matters where completion counts as a view.
- Format fit: a vertical cut in a vertical feed holds attention better than a cropped horizontal one.
How the platforms define it
- Google: with CPV bidding you pay for video views and other video interactions, such as clicks on the call-to-action overlay, cards and companion banners.
- YouTube skippable in-stream: paid at 30 seconds watched, the full ad if shorter, or an interaction, whichever comes first.
- YouTube Shorts: a view counts at 10 seconds or the end of the video, whichever comes first. Only one view is billed per impression, even when a looping ad plays more than once.
Questions
- Is CPV the same as CPM?
- No. CPM prices a thousand impressions, whether or not anyone watches. CPV prices each view as the platform defines it.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: Determine a bid strategy based on your goals
- Google Ads Help: About video ad formats
Read on 27 October 2026. Platforms change specs and policies without notice; check the source before you build to a number.