What is view-through rate (VTR)?
Last updated 3 October 2026
View-through rate is the share of people shown your ad who went on to watch it rather than skipping — views divided by impressions. On skippable in-stream campaigns it is the clearest early signal of whether the creative is working, because the viewer decides in five seconds.
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A low view-through rate with a normal cost per view usually means the first five seconds are the problem, not the targeting. A low rate alongside a rising cost per view usually means the targeting is too narrow and the same people are seeing the ad repeatedly.
It says nothing about what happens after the view is counted. Pair it with audience retention, which picks up where view-through rate stops.
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