Streaming Analytics Metrics Glossary

This feature requires an Enterprise plan on Vimeo OTT. 

This glossary defines every metric available in the Vimeo OTT Streaming Analytics dashboard, powered by NPAW. Use it as a reference when you're reading a dashboard, building a custom report, or reconciling a number against another source.

If you're looking for what each dashboard does rather than what a metric means, see Understanding the Vimeo OTT Streaming Analytics dashboard.

In this article:

• Content library metrics
• Viewership and engagement metrics
• Subscription and Free trial metrics
• Transaction and revenue metrics
• Subscriber economics metrics
• Why numbers may differ from other reports

How to read this glossary

• Every metric labeled with a count (#) or percentage (%) responds to the selected date range. Unless a metric is explicitly labeled as a snapshot with the (Last) designation, it counts only activity that falls inside the date range set by the filters at the top of the dashboard.
• Not every metric can be broken down by every dimension. Some metrics are pre-aggregated and can only be broken out by date — these are noted individually below.
• Always check the unit if it is stated. Watch time is reported in hours, but average watch time is reported in minutes. Percentages are whole numbers, not decimals. Good to know if you are comparing two metrics or exporting to a spreadsheet
• "Unique count" means deduplicated. A unique count of videos counts each video once, no matter how many times it appears. A plain count does not deduplicate.
• Metric availability follows dashboard availability. Which metrics you can see depends on whether you're on the Base or Advanced dashboard, and viewer-level metrics require Advanced. See Compare Base vs Advanced streaming analytics dashboards.

Content library metrics

All Videos (#)

• What it measures: How many videos exist in your library, whether or not they're currently available to viewers.
• How it's calculated: A unique count of every video in your catalog, including both active and inactive videos.
• Good to know: Because this includes inactive / unpublished videos, it will usually be higher than Active Videos. Use it to track total library size over time.

Active Videos (#)

• What it measures: How many videos are currently live and available to viewers.
• How it's calculated: A unique count of videos flagged as active.

Played Videos (#)

• What it measures: How many of your active videos were actually watched at least once.
• How it's calculated: A unique count of active videos that received at least one play in the selected date range.
• Good to know: A video counts once here whether it was played once or a million times. This is a breadth measure, not a volume measure — pair it with Views for volume.

Library Consumption (%)

• What it measures: What share of your available library is getting watched at all. A low number suggests a large amount of content nobody is reaching.
• How it's calculated: Played Videos divided by Active Videos, multiplied by 100.
• Good to know: This is sensitive to your date range. Over a single day, consumption will look low simply because there isn't time to touch the whole library.

Viewership and engagement metrics 

⚠️ Note: Viewer-level dashboards and widgets, such as Viewer X-Ray and Top Viewers, require the Advanced dashboard. The counts below appear on both tiers.

Views (#)

• What it measures. The number of times videos started playing in the selected date range. Every play counts, so if a viewer watches the same video 3 times, that's 3 Views.
• How it's calculated. A count of play starts in the selected date range. Each time a viewer loads a video and playback begins counts as 1 View. Pausing and resuming within that same playback, even after a long break, is still 1 View. Closing and reopening the video, or reloading the page, starts a new View, so opening the same video 5 separate times counts as 5 Views.
• Good to know: Views counts plays, not people. A person who watches 3 different videos adds 3 Views but only 1 Unique Viewer.

Viewership Sessions (#)

• What it measures. How many distinct viewing sessions occurred. A session covers a continuous stretch of activity by one viewer, which may span several videos. If a viewer starts watching on their phone, stops, then later that day comes back and finishes watching on their TV, that would be 2 distinct sessions.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of session IDs.

Watch Time

• What it measures. Total time spent watching your content.
• How it's calculated. The sum of all tracked playing time across every session.
• Unit: Hours
• Good to know. This measures actual playback, not elapsed wall-clock time — paused and buffering time is excluded. Note the unit difference against Avg. Watch Time below.

Avg. Watch Time

• What it measures. How long a typical view lasts.
• How it's calculated. Total watch time divided by the number of views.
• Unit: Minute
• Good to know. This is watch time per view, not per viewer or per session. A viewer who watches ten short clips will pull this average down even though they were highly engaged.

Avg. Views per Playback Session (#)

• What it measures. How many videos a viewer typically plays once they've started a session. A useful proxy for binge behavior and for how well your recommendations and content rows are working.
• How it's calculated. Views divided by Viewership Sessions.
• Unit: Count of views per session.

Unique Viewers (#)

• What it measures: How many different people watched your content in the selected date range.
• How it's calculated. Signed-in viewers are counted by their account. Signed-out viewers are counted by their IP address and platform (for example, web or iOS).
• Good to know. Signed-out counting is less precise. People in the same household watching on the same platform and network may be counted as one viewer. One person watching signed-out on two platforms may be counted as two. This is a common limitation of anonymous measurement. Encouraging viewers to sign in makes every viewer metric more accurate..

Logged Out Viewers (#)

• What it measures. How much of your audience is watching without signing in.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of the IP address and platform combinations belonging to viewers with no user ID.
• Good to know. Subject to the same household and multi-platform caveats as Unique Viewers. A high figure here means your other viewer metrics carry more uncertainty.

SVOD Viewers (#)

• What it measures. How many of your viewers are subscribers.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of viewers with an approved SVOD transaction, including both paid subscriptions and gifted ones.

TVOD Viewers (#)

• What it measures. How many of your viewers have bought or rented individual content.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of viewers with an approved TVOD transaction, including both purchases and rentals.
• Good to know. SVOD Viewers and TVOD Viewers overlap — a subscriber who also rents a title appears in both. They won't sum to Unique Viewers.

Subscription and Free Trial Metrics 

Free trial metrics

Total Trials (#)

• What it measures: How many free trials were open across the selected period.
• How it's calculated: Calculated forward day by day: the previous day's total, plus trials gained, minus trials lost.
• Good to know: This is a period metric, not a current headcount. If you want to know how many trials are open right now, use Total Trials (last) below.

Total Trials (last)

• What it measures. How many free trials are open as of the most recent data update, regardless of the date range you've selected.
• How it's calculated. The latest available snapshot value.
• Good to know. This metric ignores your date filter entirely, and it can only be broken out by date — it can't be combined with any other dimension such as country or platform.

Gained Trials (#)

• What it measures. How many new free trials started.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a "Free Trial Started" event.

Converted Trials (#)

• What it measures. How many free trials turned into paying subscriptions.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a "Free Trial Converted" event.
• Good to know. Conversions also count toward Gained Subscriptions, so a single trial converting increments both metrics.

Lost Trials (#)

• What it measures. How many free trials ended without converting.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a "Free Trial Ended" event.

Trial Conversion (%)

• What it measures. What share of trials become paying subscribers.
• How it's calculated. Converted Trials divided by Gained Trials, multiplied by 100
• Good to know. Because the numerator and denominator are both measured inside your selected window, a trial that starts near the end of the period hasn't had time to convert yet. Over short date ranges this understates true conversion. For an accurate read, use a window at least twice your trial length.

Subscription metrics

Total Subscriptions

• What it measures. How many active subscriptions existed across the selected period, excluding free trials.
• How it's calculated. Calculated forward day by day: the previous day's total, plus subscriptions gained, minus subscriptions lost.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions.
• Good to know: Like Total Trials, this is a period metric. For a current headcount, use Total Subscriptions (last).

Total Subscriptions (last)

• What it measures. How many active subscriptions exist as of the most recent data update, regardless of your selected date range.
• How it's calculated. The latest available snapshot value.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions.
• Good to know. Ignores your date filter, and can only be broken out by date — it can't be combined with other dimensions.

Gained Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many subscriptions were added.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Created, Free Trial Converted, Resumed, or Staff Enabled event.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions.

Lost Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many subscriptions stopped.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Paused, Ended, Churned or Disabled event.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions.
• Good to know: Paused subscriptions count as lost. A viewer who pauses their subscription with the intention of returning is counted here alongside genuine cancellations. If you want cancellations only, use Cancelled Subscriptions.

Net Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. Whether your subscriber base grew or shrank.
• How it's calculated. Gained Subscriptions minus Lost Subscriptions.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions. Can be negative.

Net Subscription (%)

• What it measures. Growth or contraction of the subscriber base as a rate rather than a raw number.
• How it's calculated. Net change in subscriptions expressed as a percentage of the subscription base.
• Unit: Percentage. Can be negative.

Resumed Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many previously paused subscriptions restarted.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Resumed event.

Paused Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many subscriptions were paused.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Paused event.

Subscription Pause (%)

• What it measures. How common pausing is across your subscriber base.
• How it's calculated. Paused Subscriptions as a percentage of the subscription base, excluding trials.

Cancelled Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many subscriptions were actively cancelled.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Churned event.
• Good to know. This is the metric to use for true churn. Unlike Lost Subscriptions, it does NOT include pauses.

Renewed Subscriptions (#)

• What it measures. How many subscriptions successfully renewed and were billed again.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of subscriptions with a Renewed event.

Monthly Renewals (#)

• What it measures. Renewals among viewers on monthly billing.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of active subscriptions with a Renewed event and a monthly billing frequency.
• Unit: Count of subscriptions.

Yearly Renewals (#)

• What it measures. Renewals among viewers on annual billing.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of active subscriptions with a Renewed event and a yearly billing frequency.

Subscription Renewal (%)

• What it measures. What share of your subscriber base is renewing rather than lapsing.
• How it's calculated. Renewed Subscriptions divided by the net subscription count, multiplied by 100. Excludes trials.
• Good to know. Because monthly and annual plans renew on very different cycles, this figure is heavily influenced by your plan mix. Break it out by billing frequency for a meaningful read.

Transaction and Revenue Metrics

Total Transactions (#)

• What it measures. How many payments were successfully processed.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of approved transaction IDs, covering subscriptions, gifts, purchases, and rentals.
• Good to know. Only approved transactions are counted — declined and failed payments are excluded.

SVOD Transactions (#)

• What it measures. Payments relating to subscriptions.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of approved transactions on SVOD products, including gifted subscriptions.

TVOD Transactions (#)

• What it measures. Payments relating to individual titles.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of approved transactions on TVOD products, including purchases and rentals.

Purchase Transactions (#)

• What it measures. How many outright purchases were made.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of approved TVOD transactions of the purchase type.

Rental Transactions (#)

• What it measures. How many rentals were taken out.
• How it's calculated. A unique count of approved TVOD transactions of the rental type.

Total Web Revenue ($)

• What it measures. Total money taken across all product types for web transactions.
• How it's calculated. The sum of net transaction amounts for all approved transactions.
• Good to know: It's in the name but for extra clarity this does not include revenue from any in-app purchases on Branded Apps Platforms like Apple or Google.

SVOD Web Revenue ($)

• What it measures. Revenue from web subscriptions.
• How it's calculated. The sum of net amounts for approved SVOD transactions, including gifts.

TVOD Web Revenue ($)

• What it measures. Revenue from individual purchases and rentals.
• How it's calculated. The sum of net amounts for approved TVOD transactions.

Purchase Revenue ($)

• What it measures. Revenue from TVOD purchases only.
• How it's calculated. The sum of net amounts for approved TVOD transactions of the purchase type

Rental Revenue ($)

• What it measures. Revenue from rentals only.
• How it's calculated. The sum of net amounts for approved TVOD transactions of the rental type.

Subscriber economics metrics

These five metrics describe the long-term value of your subscriber base rather than activity in a given period. They're calculated monthly and, unlike most metrics here, can only be broken out by date — they can't be combined with dimensions such as country, platform, or product.

Monthly Churn Rate (%)

• What it measures. The share of paying subscribers who leave in a month. The single most important health indicator for a subscription business.
• How it's calculated. Subscribers lost during the month divided by subscribers at the start of the month, multiplied by 100.
• Unit: Percentage per month.

Monthly Retention Rate (%)

• What it measures. The share of paying subscribers who stay in a month. The inverse of churn.
• How it's calculated. 100 minus the Monthly Churn Rate.
• Unit: Percentage per month.

Monthly ARPU ($)

• What it measures. Average revenue per paying subscriber per month.
• How it's calculated. Revenue over the last twelve months divided by the average number of paying subscribers over that period, divided by twelve.
• Unit: Currency per subscriber per month.
• Good to know. This is built on a trailing twelve-month window, so it responds slowly. A price change won't show up here for months. It also counts only paying subscribers, so free and trial viewers don't dilute it.

Lifetime (Months)

• What it measures. How long a subscriber is expected to stay before cancelling.
• How it's calculated. 1 divided by the Monthly Churn Rate.
• Unit: Months.
• Good to know. This is a projection derived entirely from your current churn rate, not an observed average of real subscriber tenures. If churn spikes for one month, projected lifetime will drop sharply even though no actual subscriber behavior has changed that much. Read it as a directional model, not a measurement.

Lifetime Value (LTV $)

• What it measures. Expected total revenue from a subscriber across their whole relationship with you.
• How it's calculated. Lifetime (Months) multiplied by Monthly ARPU.
• Unit: Currency per subscriber.
• Good to know. Because it's built on Lifetime, LTV inherits the same volatility — it's a model output, useful for comparing periods and cohorts rather than as an exact figure. It also reflects revenue, not profit; content, delivery, and payment costs aren't deducted.

Why numbers may differ from other reports

If a figure here doesn't match your legacy OTT analytics, your payout reports, or your own database, the cause is usually one of the following:

• Different processing of the same source data. Streaming Analytics uses the same underlying data as Vimeo's existing analytics but applies different processing and calculations. Small differences are expected at this scale. See Comparing the streaming analytics dashboards with existing OTT analytics.
• Data latency. Viewership data populates after about 2 hours; metadata such as newly added content populates after about 24 hours. Today's numbers are always incomplete.
• Period metrics versus snapshots. Total Subscriptions and Total Trials each come in two forms. The period version respects your date filter; the (last) version ignores it. Comparing one against the other will never reconcile.
• Unit mismatches. Watch Time is in hours, Avg. Watch Time is in minutes.
• Anonymous viewer counting. Signed-out viewers are identified by IP address and platform, which can merge a household into one viewer or split one person across two.
• Approved transactions only. Revenue and transaction metrics exclude declined and failed payments.

If a discrepancy is large or persistent, contact your Vimeo Account Manager or our Technical Support Team.

Related articles

• Overview of Streaming Analytics on Vimeo OTT
• Understanding the Vimeo OTT Streaming Analytics dashboard
• Compare Base vs Advanced streaming analytics dashboards
• Understanding audience segments in Streaming Analytics
• Creating a custom audience segment