Watch Hours Calculator
Free · no signup · updated 29 August 2026
YouTube requires 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months to join the Partner Programme. Enter your views and average view duration to see how many hours you have banked, how many views are left, and what it would cost to get there with promotion.
Shorts views follow a separate route (10 million in 90 days) and are not counted here.
Views needed at different video lengths
| Average view duration | Views for 4,000 hours | Cost at 0.60¢ worldwide |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | 240,000 | $1,440 |
| 2:00 | 120,000 | $720 |
| 4:00 | 60,000 | $360 |
| 6:00 | 40,000 | $240 |
| 10:00 | 24,000 | $144 |
The pattern is clear: doubling how long viewers stay halves what it costs to reach monetisation. Retention is worth more than reach.
Questions
How are watch hours calculated?+
Views multiplied by average view duration in seconds, divided by 3,600. A video with 20,000 views held for four minutes each has banked about 1,333 hours.
How many views do I need for 4,000 watch hours?+
It depends entirely on average view duration. At four minutes per view you need 60,000 views; at one minute you need 240,000. Held attention matters more than view count.
Do Shorts count towards the 4,000 hours?+
No. Shorts have a separate route to the Partner Programme — 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. This calculator covers the long-form watch-hour path.
Do views from advertising count?+
Yes. Watch time from ad-driven views counts exactly like organic watch time, which is why promotion can move the counter predictably.
What else does monetisation require?+
1,000 subscribers alongside the 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months, plus compliance with YouTube's policies.