TikTok Video Views: 6-Second View Count

TikTok Video Views counts how many times your video ad was watched for at least 6 seconds — TikTok’s default view threshold.

Formula

TikTok Video Views = SUM ( Video Views )

Formula Components

Metric	Definition
Video Views	Each instance a video is watched for at least 6 seconds

Metadata
Type	Number
Data Source	TikTok Ads
Aggregation	Sum

Example

Your TikTok awareness campaign generated 594,000 video views in Q1.

Month	Video Views	Spend	Cost per View
January	185,000	$4,625	$0.025
February	198,000	$4,752	$0.024
March	211,000	$4,853	$0.023
Q1 Total	594,000	$14,230	$0.024

How It Works

TikTok registers a view when a user watches your video for at least 6 continuous seconds. This threshold filters out accidental scrolls and brief glances, providing a more meaningful engagement metric than raw plays. The 6-second view is TikTok’s standard metric for video awareness campaigns.

When to Use

Scenario	Action
Awareness campaigns	Primary KPI for video awareness objectives
Budget optimization	Use cost per view to compare campaign efficiency
Creative performance	Higher views relative to plays indicates compelling content
Platform comparison	Compare TikTok’s 6s views against Meta’s 3s ThruPlays

Metric	Relationship
TikTok Video Plays	Total starts including sub-6s watches
TikTok Cost per Video View	Efficiency metric for video views
TikTok 15-Second Video Views	Deeper engagement metric (15s threshold)

See all TikTok Video metrics →

TikTok Video Plays TikTok CPV

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​Formula

​Formula Components

​Example

​How It Works

​When to Use

​Related Metrics

Formula

Formula Components

Example

How It Works

When to Use

Related Metrics