Definition:

CPV, or cost per view, is an advertising metric that indicates the average cost of getting a view of a video ad. It also refers to a payment model in which the advertiser pays for views or interactions that meet the platform’s criteria.

It’s used in video advertising, such as certain YouTube campaigns managed through Google Ads. A view shouldn’t be confused with an impression: just because an ad appears on screen doesn’t mean the user watched it for long enough to count as a view.

Contents

1 How CPV is calculated
2 What counts as a view
3 Differences between CPV, CPM, and CPC
4 When CPV is useful

How CPV is calculated

Average CPV is obtained by dividing ad spend by the views counted for that same period and ad set:

Average CPV = ad spend ÷ number of views

For example, if a campaign spends €500 and gets 10,000 views, its average CPV is €0.05: five cents per view.

This amount is an average, not necessarily the price of each view. It also doesn’t indicate how many different people saw the ad, because the same person can generate multiple views.

What counts as a view

The criteria depend on the platform and the format. A view doesn’t always require watching the entire video.

For example, in skippable YouTube in-stream ads with CPV bidding, you’re charged when the user watches 30 seconds of the ad, watches it to the end if it’s shorter, or interacts with it, whichever happens first.

So, in a 20-second ad, watching it to the end meets the criteria. In a 60-second ad, it’s not necessary to reach the end: watching it for 30 seconds may already count.

Other formats have different rules. That’s why, before comparing the CPV of two campaigns, it’s worth checking what each one considers a view. A video’s public view counter also doesn’t necessarily match the views used to calculate advertising CPV.

The official Google Ads documentation on CPV explains the charging criteria for these ads.

Differences between CPV, CPM, and CPC

CPV, CPM and CPC relate advertising spend to different actions. These are their main differences:

CPV, cost per view: links spend to video views.
CPM, cost per thousand impressions: expresses how much it costs to show the ad 1,000 times, without requiring a view of a specific duration.
CPC, cost per click: links spend to the clicks the ad receives.

These metrics answer different questions: how much it costs for the ad to be shown, to be viewed, or to receive a click.

When CPV is useful

CPV helps evaluate campaigns whose goal is to get video views, such as a product launch, a demo, or a brand video.

A lower CPV doesn’t necessarily mean a better result. A campaign may get cheap views from people who aren’t very interested in the offer. It’s best to analyze it alongside the audience reached, video retention, frequency, and, where relevant, conversions.

There’s no ideal CPV for every campaign: it depends on the country, the audience, the format, and advertising competition.