Google raised the video engagement threshold from 5 to 10 seconds watched

Google updated its engagements reporting documentation so a viewer must now watch at least 10 seconds of a video ad for it to count as an engagement, up from 5 seconds. Engagement counts and engagement rates are recalculated on the new rules, so figures may look lower when periods either side of the change are compared.

Criteria by format: in-stream and video app promotion ads count 10 seconds watched or a click; in-feed video ads count 10 seconds watched while muted or a thumbnail click; Masthead ads count 10 seconds watched while muted or a click on the full video view; bumper and non-skippable in-stream ads count clicks only; YouTube Shorts count 10 seconds watched or a CTA button click; Lightbox and Gmail ads are unchanged and still count only when expanded. Google did not state an effective date.