What is cost per view (CPV)?
Last updated 3 October 2026
Cost per view is what an advertiser pays each time someone watches their promoted video. On YouTube a view is counted at 30 seconds, or at the end of a shorter video, or on a click — so you are not charged for an ad that someone skips in the first few seconds.
What a fair rate looks like
Country decides almost everything. Worldwide targeting runs around $6.00 per 1,000 views for long-form video and $4.00 for Shorts. The US, UK, Canada and Australia run near $13.20 for the same video, because more advertisers are bidding for the same attention.
If you are paying far above the rate for your country, targeting is the usual cause: stacking a small country with one narrow interest leaves too few people in the auction and the price per view climbs.
Cheaper is not automatically better
You can always drive cost per view down by targeting the cheapest countries and going as broad as possible. If those viewers leave after four seconds you have bought a lower number in a spreadsheet and nothing else. Read cost per view next to average view duration, never on its own.
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Prices, published
Our cost per 1,000 views for every audience and format, with no account needed.
See the rates