Where do YouTube promotion views come from?
Last updated 3 October 2026
From Google's advertising network. Your video is shown in-stream before or during someone else's video, in-feed beside search results and on the home page, or between organic Shorts — to viewers who match the country, interest and placement you selected. Every view is won in an ad auction, which is why the price differs by country.
What that means in your analytics
The views land under paid traffic in YouTube Analytics, with watch time, average view duration and an audience breakdown. You can see which countries watched, how long they stayed, and which of your videos they went to next.
That trail is the proof of where views came from. Delivered views that leave no trace in Analytics did not come from advertising.
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Prices, published
Our cost per 1,000 views for every audience and format, with no account needed.
See the rates