What does public watch hours mean on youtube? How to increase it?

15/12/2022
What does public watch hours mean on youtube? How to increase it?

Have you ever watched a video online and wondered what time of day or night was the best to get the most views? Or are you curious as to why certain videos get started popularity at seemingly random times during the week? Well, if so, this blog post is all about what does public watch hours mean on youtube.

With insights into how “public view” scheduling works and tips on how to make the most of it, we’re here to explain everything you need to know about optimizing your video content for increasing public watch hours. So keep reading with TubeLoop if you want more viewers tuning into your content!

What does public watch hours mean on youtube?

Public watch hours YouTube are a way to measure the amount of time people have spent watching your videos, which is important for determining your channel’s monetization eligibility. To qualify for monetization, channels must have accumulated 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months. This means that if someone watches your video for 10 minutes, that 10 minutes counts as 10 public watch hours. Public watch hours are used to measure the total amount of time viewers spend watching your content, regardless of where the video is embedded or shared.

YouTube also uses other factors to assess channel eligibility for monetization such as number of subscribers, follower engagement and age/location of audience. All of these factors are important in determining if your channel is ready for monetization. To get the most out of your YouTube content and to ensure you’re eligible, focus on creating quality videos that viewers engage with, build a strong subscriber base and promote your videos on social media platforms to reach new audiences. This will help ensure that you accumulate enough public watch hours to become eligible for monetization.

4000 valid public watch hours What does public watch hours mean on youtube

How to increase your public watch hours on YouTube?

One way to increase public watch hours on YouTube is by creating engaging content. Having quality videos that keep viewers interested and engaged can help improve public watch hours, as they are more likely to come back for more videos and stay longer in each session. Additionally, consider focusing on lengthier video content which can help boost public watch hours. Longer videos often have more public watch hours than shorter ones, so aiming to create longer content is a great way to increase public watch hours.

Another strategy for increasing public watch hours on YouTube is by optimizing your titles and descriptions. Making sure that your title and description accurately reflect the contents of your video can help draw in more viewers and keep them watching. Additionally, using relevant keywords in your titles and descriptions can help boost public watch hours by making your video more discoverable to viewers searching for content related to those keywords.

Lastly, try utilizing YouTube’s suggested feature to increase public watch hours. Using the suggested feature allows YouTube to put your videos in the sidebars or end cards of other related videos, making them more visible and potentially drawing in more viewers to your content. Utilizing the suggested feature is a great way to increase public watch hours on YouTube.


By creating engaging content, optimizing titles and descriptions, and utilizing the suggested feature, you can increase public watch hours on YouTube. Taking these steps can help raise public watch hours and make your videos more visible, ultimately driving more viewers to your content.

Related: How to lock YouTube Screen on iPhone, iPad & Android?

What is public watch hours in youtube? Why ask?

People, especially Youtubers often ask about YouTube public watch hours as follows. 
  1. To joining the YouTube Partner Program (YPP): This program lets creators earn money through ads, sponsorships, and other features on their videos. Public watch hours are a major requirement for joining YPP. To be eligible, you need to have at least 4,000 hours of valid public watch time in the past year. So, understanding what counts and how to increase public watch hours is super important for aspiring YouTubers who want to monetize their content.
  2. Growing their YouTube Channel: Even if someone isn’t aiming for immediate monetization, public watch hours are a good indicator of a channel’s overall performance. Higher watch time suggests viewers are engaged and spending more time with your content. This can be motivating for creators and help them understand what kind of content resonates with their audience.

The difference between public watch hours vs watch time?

There’s little difference between public watch hours and watch time on YouTube, although they’re both related to how viewers engage with your videos. Here’s the breakdown:

Watch Time Public Watch Hours
  • Refers to the total amount of time viewers spend watching all your videos, regardless of privacy settings.
  • It includes views from public videos, private videos, unlisted videos, deleted videos (for a short period), YouTube Shorts, and even ads.
  • Watch time is a valuable metric to understand overall viewer engagement, but it doesn’t directly affect your eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
  • Counts the watch time only from public videos.
  • Public watch hours don’t count Private views, unlisted views, and views from other content types.
  • Public watch hours are super important for joining YPP, as one of the requirements is to have 4,000 valid public watch hours within the last 12 months.

FAQ about public watch hours youtube

Q: Can I watch my own YouTube video to get 4000 watch hours?

A: No, public watch hours only count if the video was watched by other people.

Q: How long does it take to get 4000 public watch hours?

A: It is impossible to say exactly how long it will take to get 4000 public watch hours as this will depend on a variety of factors such as the type of content created, how well it is promoted, audience engagement levels and more. However, consistent effort can help you reach your goal sooner rather than later.

Q: How many YouTube views per day is good?

A: It is not necessary to get a certain number of views per day in order to reach 4000 public watch hours. Instead, focus on creating content that appeals to your target audience and promoting it in the right places. Having said that, getting more views will help you reach your goal faster so aim for quality over quantity.

Q: Do Shorts count as watch hours?

A: Yes, Shorts count towards public watch hours. However, they must be publically visible to viewers in order for the views to count towards your total public watch hours.

4000 public watch hours on YouTube is an important milestone for any aspiring YouTuber. It takes consistent effort, engaging content and effective promotion to get the public watch hours needed for monetization. Good luck!

I hope this blog post “What does public watch hours mean on youtube? How to increase it?” tackles everything you need to know about youtube public watch hours meaning, how to boost them, and why they matter for aspiring YouTubers looking to grow their channel.

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