YouTube advertising glossary

Last updated 3 October 2026

The words that come up when you buy or earn from YouTube views, each one answered on its own page.

RPM

RPM, or revenue per mille, is what a channel actually keeps for every 1,000 views after YouTube takes its share.

CPM

CPM, cost per mille, is what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions.

Cost per view (CPV)

Cost per view is what an advertiser pays each time someone watches their promoted video.

In-stream ads

An in-stream ad plays before, during or after someone else's video.

In-feed ads

An in-feed ad appears as a thumbnail and title beside YouTube search results, on the home feed, or next to a video someone is already watching.

TrueView

TrueView was Google's name for the YouTube ad formats that charge only when a viewer genuinely engages — watching 30 seconds, finishing a shorter ad, or clicking.

Watch hours

Watch hours are the total time people spend watching your videos, counted in hours rather than views.

Audience retention

Audience retention is the share of your video that people actually watch, shown as a curve from start to finish.

YPP

YPP is the YouTube Partner Programme, the scheme a channel joins to earn money from its videos.

View-through rate (VTR)

View-through rate is the share of people shown your ad who went on to watch it rather than skipping — views divided by impressions.