Understanding the Average % watched indicator
The Average % watched indicator is very important for analyzing your retention and is an integral part of the Youtube algorithm.
Below you will find an explanation of this KPIS.
Explanation of the average % watched on a Youtube video
Average Percentage Viewed is a key metric in YouTube Analytics that measures the average proportion of a video watched by viewers. This calculation divides the total watch time by the total video duration, multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.
Detailed calculation
- Formula: (Total Watch Time / Total Video Time) × 100
- Example: For a 10-minute video where viewers watch an average of 5 minutes, the average percentage viewed will be 50%
The average viewing is generally around 50%
Implications for Creators
- Impact on the YouTube algorithm
- Content Engagement Metric
- Influences video recommendation
Factors Affecting the Percentage
- Video length
- Quality of content
- Audience targeting
- Video Structure
Why can this KPI have a result higher than 100%?
The average percentage viewed metric can be higher than 100% due to the way YouTube calculates views and watch time. Here is the detailed explanation:
When a user watches a video several times or rewinds certain parts, it can increase the average percentage viewed beyond 100%.
Take a one-minute video that has been viewed 100 times. If all viewers watch the entire video, but 20 viewers:
- Watch until the 45th second
- Came back at the 30th second
- Then end the video
In this case, the metric will have a value of 1.2 for certain segments of the video.
This means that:
- Total watch time exceeds the original video duration
- Round-trips and replays are counted in the calculation
- The percentage can thus exceed 100%
For example, for a 10-minute video with 1000 views and a total watch time of 80,000 minutes, the average percentage viewed would be 80%
This metric allows YouTube to accurately measure the actual engagement of viewers, beyond a simple count of views.
