The practice of acquiring views on video-sharing platforms that are characterized by extended watch times involves a financial transaction. These purchased views are designed to mimic organic viewer behavior by ensuring a significant portion of the video is watched, thus contributing to a higher average view duration. As an example, instead of merely registering a view based on a few seconds of playback, these acquisitions aim for viewers watching half or more of the video’s total length.
Such strategies are sometimes employed to enhance a video’s perceived value and credibility within the platform’s algorithm. Higher viewer retention rates are a key metric used by the platform to assess content quality and relevance. By artificially inflating this metric, some content creators aim to improve their video’s ranking in search results and suggested video feeds. Historically, this approach has been used as a means of accelerating growth, particularly in the early stages of a channel’s development.
