Meta Cost per Video View: Video Awareness Efficiency

Track Meta Cost per Video View to measure your average spend per 3-second video view. The standard cost metric for video awareness campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.

Meta Cost per Video View measures your average spend for each 3-second video view on your Meta ads.

Formula

Meta Cost per Video View = Meta Spend ÷ Meta Video Views

Formula Components

Metric	Definition
Meta Spend	Total amount billed by Meta for your advertising
Meta Video Views	Number of times your video was watched for at least 3 seconds

Metadata
Type	Currency
Data Source	Meta Ads
Aggregation	Ratio (Spend ÷ Video Views)

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Example

Your skincare brand spent $2,400 on video awareness campaigns in March and generated 800,000 video views across placements.

Placement	Spend	Video Views	Cost/View
Instagram Reels	$1,200	480,000	$0.0025
Facebook Feed	$800	240,000	$0.0033
Stories	$400	80,000	$0.0050

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How It Works

Meta counts a video view when someone watches your ad for at least 3 continuous seconds. Cost per Video View divides your spend by these qualified views, filtering out accidental scrolls and immediate skips. This metric is your primary efficiency measure when optimizing for top-of-funnel video reach and brand awareness.

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When to Use

Scenario	Action
Evaluating video awareness campaigns	Compare cost per view across ad sets to find efficient audiences
Cost per view rising	Refresh creative or expand targeting to combat ad fatigue
Comparing to Thruplay cost	Higher Thruplay cost vs. view cost indicates drop-off after 3 seconds
Planning brand awareness budgets	Use cost per view to forecast reach at different spend levels

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Related Metrics

Metric	Relationship
Meta Video Views	The view count used in the Cost per Video View formula
Meta Cost per Thruplay	Cost for deeper engagement—15+ seconds or completion
Meta Spend	The total ad spend used in the formula

See all Meta Video metrics →