VK Video has rolled out a new system to count views: now, only views lasting at least five seconds will be counted. This change applies to all creators and all long-form video formats on the platform.
Key points of the new system:
VK Video completed the transition to this updated methodology at the start of 2026. The five-second threshold mirrors international video hosting standards and aims to more accurately capture genuine viewer interest.
Nikolay Duksin, vice president of music and video services at VK, explained that the update was driven by a need to build greater trust among creators and advertisers.
“The five-second mark was chosen according to best practices followed by video platforms worldwide. For VK Video, strengthening trust with creators and advertisers is critical, and we believe focusing on genuine audience engagement will help achieve that.”
VK Video CEO Marianna Maksimovskaya added that the previous counting system was inherited from the VKontakte social network and was better suited for music videos and short clips. Now operating as a standalone platform, VK Video sees most users watching long-form content through dedicated smartphone and TV apps.
The new logic only affects view count metrics. Other performance indicators-such as watch-to-end rates, likes, comments, and subscriptions-will continue following the existing rules. Historical view data collected before 2026 will remain unchanged in creators’ statistics and will not be recalculated.
This update aims to enhance analytics and provide clearer performance insights for content creators and advertisers alike.