CPM YouTube

What is CPM on YouTube?

CPM (cost per mille) is the amount advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions on YouTube. It measures the price of your ad inventory before YouTube takes its revenue share, so it shows what brands pay — not what you earn.

YouTube Analytics shows two versions of the metric. CPM counts every ad impression. Playback-based CPM counts video playbacks where at least one ad was shown, and it is usually higher because a single playback can include several ads.

CPM vs RPM

CPM is an advertiser-side metric: the price of 1,000 ad impressions. RPM is creator-side: your actual revenue per 1,000 video views after YouTube keeps its 45% share of ad revenue on long-form videos. A channel can have a $10 CPM and an RPM closer to $2–4, because RPM counts all views — including the ones where no ad was served.

What affects your CPM

• Niche. Finance, business, and tech attract expensive ads, with commonly cited CPMs above $10–20. Gaming and entertainment often sit around $2–6.

• Viewer geography. Advertisers pay more for audiences in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia than for most other regions.

• Seasonality. Ad budgets peak in Q4 before the holidays and drop in January.

• Video length and ad formats. Videos over 8 minutes can run mid-roll ads, which adds ad impressions per view.

How to check CPM in YouTube Analytics

1. Open YouTube Studio and go to Analytics.

2. Open the Revenue tab.

3. Find the CPM and playback-based CPM cards.

The Revenue tab appears once your channel is accepted into the YouTube Partner Program — see our guide to YouTube monetization.

How to raise your CPM

Pick topics with commercial intent — reviews, comparisons, tutorials tied to products advertisers sell. Publish in English or target tier-1 geographies if your format allows it. Keep videos advertiser-friendly: strong language and graphic content cut the pool of brands willing to bid. And make videos longer than 8 minutes where it makes sense, so mid-rolls can run.