Quick definition
CPV (cost per view) is a video-ad pricing model where an advertiser pays each time a viewer watches an ad — spend divided by the number of qualifying views.
Advertising
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CPV stands for cost per view, a pricing model used mainly in video advertising where the advertiser pays when a viewer watches an ad rather than when it’s merely served. The formula divides total spend by the number of qualifying views. What counts as a "view" is set by each platform — commonly a video watched for a minimum number of seconds, or watched to a defined percentage, or interacted with. Because payment is tied to actual viewing rather than impressions, CPV shifts some of the risk of ignored ads away from the advertiser.
CPV is closely associated with video-heavy environments — skippable pre-roll, in-feed video ads, and short-form video placements. It sits alongside CPM (cost per thousand impressions), which charges for views whether or not anyone actually watches, and CPC, which charges per click. For a brand running video creative, CPV can be attractive because it only counts engaged viewers, though the exact view definition matters enormously: a "view" counted at two seconds is very different from one counted at completion.
CPV is best read together with view definition and downstream engagement. A cheap CPV built on very short qualifying views may look efficient while delivering little real attention, so pair it with metrics like average watch time, video view rate, and completion rate to judge whether views are meaningful. For awareness-led video campaigns, CPV is a useful efficiency gauge; for conversion goals, it should be tied back to whether those views eventually drove action, since a viewed ad and a converting ad are not the same thing.
Where SocialKit fits
SocialKit doesn’t buy video ad views, but it schedules and publishes your organic video content — Reels, Shorts, TikToks — across all 11 platforms, and its analytics show how those videos perform without paying per view.
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FAQ
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