VK Video Redefines What Counts as a View. Here’s What It Means for Creators and Advertisers
VK Video has recalculated views for long-form videos. From now on, a view is counted only if a viewer watches for at least five consecutive seconds.
What Exactly Has Changed
Previously, a view could be logged within the first moments of playback, even if a user briefly opened a video and closed it almost immediately. Under the new model, a view is recorded only when a viewer spends at least five uninterrupted seconds watching the video.
The five-second threshold is positioned as a compromise. It is long enough for a viewer to consciously decide whether a video is worth their attention, but short enough to fit the fast pace of online viewing. This matters especially for short clips, where accidental swipes and fleeting opens have often inflated statistics without reflecting real interest.
Why the Platform Wants a Stricter Metric
View counts are the baseline metric everyone relies on – creators, advertisers, and the platform itself. When that number is filled with accidental clicks, its value erodes. Shifting to a model that captures only “meaningful” views makes analytics more accurate and more honest.
VK Video is aligning its approach with global video platforms, many of which use minimum watch-time thresholds to qualify a view. This makes conversations with advertisers easier. Metrics become comparable with international standards, and trust in performance reports increases.
What This Changes for Creators and Channels
For some creators, reported view counts may drop. But the views that remain should better reflect real audience engagement. That gives creators a clearer picture of which videos genuinely hold attention and which lose viewers within the first seconds.
Creators also gain a more actionable signal for improving content. Testing opening moments, thumbnails, topics, and video length becomes more straightforward. If viewers consistently drop off before the five-second mark, the issue is likely the hook or presentation, and the metric surfaces that immediately.
Benefits for Advertisers and the Market
For advertisers, the key shift is that the platform stops inflating numbers through accidental opens. A five-second threshold makes views a more predictable and transparent benchmark for campaign evaluation. That reduces the risk of overpaying for impressions that never truly land.
When advertisers see metrics that line up with international practices, confidence in the platform grows. This could encourage brands to reallocate budgets toward VK Video, especially given the limits placed on foreign social networks and video services in Russia.
What It Means for Users and Recommendations
Most viewers are unlikely to notice a formal rule change. But recommendation algorithms will be fed higher-quality data. With random clicks removed from the equation, the system can better distinguish between videos people actually watch for at least a few seconds and those they abandon instantly.
Over time, recommendation feeds should become more precise. Videos that hold attention are more likely to be promoted, benefiting both viewers and creators who focus on substance rather than just clickable titles and thumbnails.
VK Video’s Position Against YouTube
After access to YouTube was restricted in Russia, domestic platforms, including VK Video, saw a significant influx of users. Estimates suggest the service has surpassed 100 million installs, with video consumption growing on smart TVs and mobile devices.
Moving to a stricter view-count metric fits into a broader strategy. VK Video wants to show that it operates by “grown-up” market rules, even as it scales rapidly in a changing platform landscape.
