Meta Cost per Video Play measures the average spend per video play initiation on your Meta ads, including auto-plays.
Meta Cost per Video Play = Meta Spend ÷ Meta Video Plays
| Metric | Definition |
|---|
| Meta Spend | Total amount spent on Meta advertising campaigns |
| Meta Video Plays | Number of times your video started playing, including auto-plays |
| Metadata | |
|---|
| Type | Currency |
| Data Source | Meta Ads |
| Aggregation | Ratio |
Example
Your video campaign spent $2,500 and generated 50,000 video plays.
| Metric | Value | Calculation |
|---|
| Meta Spend | $2,500 | Total campaign spend |
| Meta Video Plays | 50,000 | All video initiations |
| Meta Cost per Video Play | $0.05 | $2,500 ÷ 50,000 |
How It Works
Meta Cost per Video Play divides your total ad spend by the number of video play initiations. This includes both user-initiated plays and auto-plays that occur when videos appear in feed. The metric helps you understand the efficiency of your video content at capturing initial attention.
When to Use
| Scenario | Action |
|---|
| Comparing video creative efficiency | Lower cost per play indicates more efficient attention capture |
| Budget allocation for video campaigns | Identify which videos deliver plays most cost-effectively |
| Benchmarking against industry standards | Track cost per play trends over time |
| Optimizing video ad formats | Compare in-feed vs. Stories vs. Reels cost efficiency |
| Metric | Relationship |
|---|
| Meta Video Plays | Denominator — total video play initiations |
| Meta Spend | Numerator — total advertising spend |
| Meta Cost per Video View | Similar metric measuring cost per qualified view |
