Video view campaigns: how the format mix works, and how much placement control remains
Part of YouTube channel planning
The short answer
A video view campaign is the Google Ads Video subtype that buys TrueView views with a target cost per view. Multi-format ads let Google place one set of videos across skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ads. Channel placements are allowed, but Google warns that contextual targeting restricts serving on the Shorts feed and closes the Home feed to in-feed ads.
Key takeaways
- Video view campaigns sit under the YouTube reach, views, and engagements objective and bid on target CPV for TrueView views.
- With multi-format ads, Google picks the format for each video; a buyer can opt whole formats out of the campaign but cannot pin one video to one format.
- Shorts ads are available in a video view campaign only with multi-format ads turned on.
- Google's best practices say contextual targeting, including placements, restricts serving on the Shorts feed, and content targeting keeps in-feed ads off the Home feed.
- TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns began upgrading automatically to multi-format video view campaigns in August 2026, keeping their original formats and targeting.
What is a video view campaign?
Definition
- Video view campaign (VVC)
- A Video campaign subtype in Google Ads that seeks as many TrueView views as possible for the budget, at an average target cost per view the buyer sets, using skippable in-stream, in-feed and Shorts ads.
Google's About Video views page (opens in a new tab) describes the subtype for brand consideration: the buyer sets the average amount they are willing to pay for a TrueView view, and Google finds as many views as it can across the three formats, showing ads where they perform best. Some views cost more and some less than the target. A buyer creates one by choosing the YouTube reach, views, and engagements objective, the Video campaign type and Video views as the subtype, then adds up to 5 videos per ad.
The subtype replaced two older campaign types. Google's upgrade page (opens in a new tab) says TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns began upgrading automatically to multi-format ads in August 2026, with a gradual rollout through the rest of the year. Upgraded campaigns keep their name, budget, dates and targeting, switch from maximum CPV to target CPV, keep campaign reporting history and reset ad group and ad history. Campaigns on shared budgets are not upgraded; they keep serving but can no longer be edited.
Where do video view campaign ads run?
A video view campaign runs on three YouTube surfaces, chosen in the campaign's multi-format ads section. Google recommends all three to maximize views, and requires at least one. Google's best practices guide (opens in a new tab) also recommends including Google video partners and targeting all devices so the system can serve on the device best suited to the view.
| Format | Where it appears | Creative Google recommends | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippable in-stream | Before, during or after other videos; skippable after 5 seconds | Horizontal, 5 seconds or longer; a :15 and a :60 to 3:00 version | Available with or without multi-format ads |
| In-feed | As a thumbnail with text in search results, watch next, the Home feed and the Subscriptions feed | Horizontal; square and vertical assets do not serve in-feed | Needs a long headline and description; content targeting closes the Home feed |
| Shorts | Between videos in the Shorts feed | Vertical, 10 to 60 seconds | Only with multi-format ads; horizontal videos serve there only if no vertical video is in the ad group |
The surface list for in-feed and the Home feed rule come from Google's in-feed video ads page (opens in a new tab). The upgrade page adds one detail that matters for migrated campaigns: ads copied from in-stream only campaigns do not serve in-feed until a headline and description are added, and upgraded In-feed for Consideration campaigns do not reach Shorts until a description is added. A migrated campaign can therefore run on fewer surfaces than its settings suggest.
How is a view counted in a video view campaign?
Each format has its own TrueView view rule, and the bid is paid per TrueView view. The About Video views page sets them out: a skippable in-stream view needs 30 seconds of watching, or the whole ad if shorter, or an engagement; an in-feed view needs a thumbnail click or 10 seconds of autoplay, or the whole ad if shorter; a Shorts view needs 10 seconds of play, or the whole ad if shorter, or a click on the call to action, Like, Comments or Share. The cost per view guide covers how CPV bidding prices those views.
Creative length interacts with the count. Google's best practices guide says assets of 12 seconds or longer count as TrueView views and populate remarketing lists, and it advises against videos of 6 seconds or less in a video view campaign, because they serve without a skip button, effectively forcing a view. The upgrade page adds that video view campaigns need videos longer than 5 seconds.
How much placement control do video view campaigns allow?
Less than a single format campaign, by design. With multi-format ads, Google decides which format each video serves in. The About Video views page says a buyer cannot restrict an individual video to one format, such as pinning one video to Shorts only, and that format level asset anchoring is available only in Demand Gen; a buyer can still opt whole formats out of the campaign. Turning multi-format ads off allows separate in-stream or in-feed ad groups, but Google says ad groups with the same settings then compete with each other, and Shorts become unavailable.
| Control | What happens | Planning consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Channel and video placements | Allowed as content targeting | Google's guide says contextual targeting restricts serving on the Shorts feed |
| Placements plus audience segments in one ad group | Google advises against overlaying audiences, other than age and gender, on contextual targeting | Overlaying significantly limits available users; split them into separate ad groups |
| Any content targeting | In-feed ads stop appearing in the Home feed | In-feed delivery falls to search results, watch next and Subscriptions |
| Format opt outs | Whole formats can be removed from the campaign | Removing Shorts keeps a channel list on in-stream and in-feed, at the cost of potential views |
| Post launch reporting | Where ads showed lists channels and videos only for Watch page ads | Home feed and other off Watch page delivery appears as youtube.com |
The reporting row comes from Google's Where ads showed report page (opens in a new tab). A plan that depends on proving channel by channel delivery should expect in-feed and Shorts delivery to be the least visible part of the campaign. The upgrade page also notes that campaigns opted out of YouTube search are updated to include it during the upgrade, so a migrated campaign's network settings need a check after the switch.
When should a plan use video views?
Video views fit briefs that want people to choose to watch a longer message: product explainers, demonstrations, tutorials and reviews. Google's recommended creative set is one horizontal 15 second video, one horizontal video of 60 seconds to 3 minutes and one vertical video of 10 to 60 seconds, and its guide says ads of 60 seconds to 3 minutes drive more consideration lift than shorter versions. A brief measured in unique reach or a set weekly frequency belongs in a video reach campaign instead, which bids on target CPM.
Signs a brief fits a video view campaign
- The goal is consideration: viewers choosing to watch, not as many people as possible seeing the brand.
- The client has, or will make, a longer horizontal cut as well as a vertical one.
- The client accepts that Google decides the format for each video.
- If a channel list is required, the client accepts restricted Shorts delivery or opts Shorts out.
- The report will be built on TrueView views and cost per view, with public views shown separately.
What does a video view plan look like on one brief?
Fictional example
A kitchen knife maker plans explainer views in Saskatchewan
An unnamed maker of kitchen knives and sharpening stones wants English YouTube ads in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, so home cooks watch a two minute video on choosing and caring for a chef's knife. The client also wants the ads beside cooking and knife skills channels the agency has reviewed.
The planner proposes a video view campaign in two parts. Ad group one runs the reviewed channel list with the two minute and 15 second horizontal cuts, and the client accepts that Shorts delivery will be restricted there. A second video view campaign carries no content targeting and adds a 30 second vertical cut, so Shorts and the Home feed stay open; it uses a cooking interest audience only, not overlaid on placements.
The report plan separates TrueView views by format, shows public views as a separate, non-billable count, and notes that in-feed delivery off the Watch page will appear as youtube.com. No delivery or result figures are implied.
How does PlacementGraph plan channels for a views campaign?
Frequently asked questions
Can one video be kept to Shorts only in a video view campaign?
No. Google's About Video views page says multi-format video view and video reach campaigns optimize asset delivery across the selected formats, and individual assets cannot be restricted to one format. Format level asset anchoring, called Creative Preferences, is available only in Demand Gen. A video view campaign can only opt a whole format in or out.
What happened to TrueView In-stream campaigns on shared budgets?
Google's upgrade page says TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns using a shared budget are not upgraded automatically. They continue to serve, but they can no longer be edited or upgraded, and Google recommends creating new campaigns to replace them.
Do upgraded campaigns keep their old Maximum CPV bid?
No. Google says the bid strategy changes from maximum CPV to target CPV during the automatic upgrade, and that it fills in the target CPV using the ad group's historical average cost per view. Other campaign settings, such as budget, dates and targeting, are not changed.
Does a video view campaign run on Google video partners?
It can. Google's best practices guide for video view campaigns recommends including Google video partners, describing them as third party video and audio inventory with the same ad formats, pricing and transparency as YouTube. A plan limited to YouTube channels should turn partners off in the campaign's network settings.
Sources
- About Video views (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Best practices guide for Video view campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Upgrading TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns to Video view campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- How to buy YouTube Shorts ads with Video view campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About in-feed video ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About the Where ads showed report (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About Reach Planner (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.