What is CPM on YouTube?
Last updated 3 October 2026
CPM, cost per mille, is what an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. It is an advertiser's cost, not a creator's income — YouTube keeps 45% of it, and most views never show an ad at all. A creator looking at their own earnings wants RPM instead.
Why the number looks high
YouTube Studio reports playback-based CPM, which counts only the views where an ad actually ran. If one view in four carried an ad, the CPM shown is roughly four times what the same views earned per thousand. Nothing is being hidden; they are two different denominators.
CPM against cost per view
When you buy promotion, the figure that matters is cost per view, not CPM: you pay when someone watches, not when an ad is served. Our published rate is $6.00 per 1,000 views worldwide for video and $4.00 for Shorts, and it rises to $13.20 for the US, UK, Canada and Australia because those auctions are more competitive.
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Prices, published
Our cost per 1,000 views for every audience and format, with no account needed.
See the rates