YouTube inflates public view counts August 24; creator payouts stay unchanged

Starting August 24, YouTube counts a public view the moment playback begins, aligning regular videos with its Shorts methodology and likely raising displayed counts. Monetization is unaffected: earnings and Partner Program eligibility remain based on a separate internal "Engaged Views" metric. The public number inflates; the economic plumbing does not. Creators pitching sponsorships on view-count thresholds will need to recalibrate.