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Apparently in reaction to FaceBook’s video auto-play experience, YouTube has added the auto-play feature as the default setting. Essentially, if you are watching a video that is not being played as part of a playlist, YouTube will assess your video watching history and choose what it believes is a related video… and play it automatically a short time after your current video ends.
The feature is easily turned off using a toggle switch in the top right of the screen, or through your settings (gear icon in the video player), and individual auto-plays can be prevented by clicking on the “cancel” link below the countdown timer overlaid on the screen. The auto-played video can be delayed if you scroll down the page into the comment section, but browsing on another tab will not prevent the next video from playing.
This change has various implications. First, it will likely annoy YouTube viewers who like to have control over their viewing habits. The viewing experience with auto-play is more like television, and YouTube has often been seen as an alternative to that format. Fortunately, the feature is easy to turn off. The auto-play feature is likely to increase view time, but without voluntary actions from the viewer, this view time may not be as authentic, and this also means view time stats will not be as reliable.
FaceBook has recently posted viewing statistics that could be treated as exaggerated because auto-play views are not authentic views – as we have mentioned before, it is analogous to a television that is being ignored. There is a trade-off between a strict scientific approach and the playing of more videos… Perhaps one could argue that YouTube playlists already had a similar effect, but there was more voluntary control by the viewer. The definition of a video play may be affected as a result, and it is important to notice this shift. Regardless, the FaceBook stats sound good, and the result: YouTube introduces Auto-Play.
Ultimately, this auto-play feature is a change that primarily benefits YouTube – assuming any negative response by viewers fades as they recognize it can be turned off. It simply means more time will be spent on YouTube, with more videos being played. It may help to sell more YouTube Advertisements and Google Stock.
Content marketers should be aware of this new default feature, as it can affect the viewer experience when videos are watched on YouTube. Embedded videos are not auto-playing “related” content at this time, though YouTube continues to suggest related videos unless you turn them off in your embed code. If your video is part of a playlist you control and this playlist is incorporated in the URL of a YouTube link, you can maintain more control over your viewers’ experiences.
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