> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# TikTok Video Plays: Total Video Start Count

> Track total TikTok video plays including auto-plays. Understand initial video engagement before the 6-second view threshold.

<Tip>
  TikTok Video Plays counts the total times your video started playing, including auto-plays — higher than views because very short watches are excluded from "views".
</Tip>

## Formula

<Info>
  **TikTok Video Plays** = **SUM** ( Video Plays )
</Info>

### Formula Components

| Metric          | Definition                                              |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Video Plays** | Each instance a video starts playing in the TikTok feed |

| Metadata        |                               |
| --------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Type**        | Number                        |
| **Data Source** | [TikTok Ads](/sources/tiktok) |
| **Aggregation** | Sum                           |

***

## Example

Your TikTok campaign generated **847,500 video plays** across all ad groups last week.

| Ad Group             | Video Plays | Video Views | Play-to-View Rate |
| -------------------- | ----------- | ----------- | ----------------- |
| Awareness Creative A | 425,000     | 312,000     | 73.4%             |
| Awareness Creative B | 312,500     | 198,000     | 63.4%             |
| Awareness Creative C | 110,000     | 84,000      | 76.4%             |
| **Total**            | **847,500** | **594,000** | **70.1%**         |

***

## How It Works

TikTok counts a play the moment your video starts, including auto-plays as users scroll through their feed. This number is always higher than Video Views because plays include viewers who watch less than 6 seconds. The gap between plays and views indicates how many users scroll past quickly.

***

## When to Use

| Scenario                  | Action                                                             |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Measuring raw reach       | Compare plays across campaigns to understand total exposure        |
| Analyzing scroll behavior | High plays with low views means users aren't stopping to watch     |
| Creative testing          | Use play-to-view ratio to identify which thumbnails grab attention |
| Funnel analysis           | Plays → Views → Completions shows the full engagement funnel       |

***

## Related Metrics

| Metric                                                                                                  | Relationship                           |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| [TikTok Video Views](/reference/metrics/advertising/tiktok/tiktok-video/tiktok-video-views)             | Views that pass the 6-second threshold |
| [TikTok Video Completions](/reference/metrics/advertising/tiktok/tiktok-video/tiktok-video-completions) | Users who watched the entire video     |
| [TikTok Impressions](/reference/metrics/advertising/tiktok/tiktok-delivery/tiktok-impressions)          | Total times ads were shown             |

[See all TikTok Video metrics →](/reference/metrics/advertising/tiktok/tiktok-video)