Video Retention Benchmarks by Platform 2026: A Practical Guide for Editors and Marketers

# Why this matters Retention metrics look similar across dashboards but measure different viewer behaviors. Treating a 60% completion rate on one platform as equivalent to 60% on another will lead to wrong editorial priorities and misleading reporting. This guide explains what each platform actually tracks in 2026 and what your editing team should change to improve those signals.

# How platforms define retention

• YouTube: Audience Retention is a per-second curve. The core summary metrics are Average View Duration (AVD) and Average Percentage Viewed. YouTube also offers relative audience retention against similar videos. Shorts includes loop count as part of the retention signal.
• TikTok: Reports Completion Rate, quartile breakdowns (25/50/75/100), and average watch time. Loop count raises a clip's engagement weight, so replays matter.

• Instagram Reels: Retention is reported as completion-related metrics. Reels, like TikTok, rewards completion and early engagement for distribution.
• B2B hosts (Wistia, Vidyard): Publish transparent, platform-level benchmark data and provide granular viewer tracking useful for downstream conversion measurement.

# What "good" means in 2026 (practical interpretation)

• YouTube: Prioritize sustained watch time across a session. Editing choices that increase average percentage viewed matter more than a single strong hook.
• TikTok: Aim for completion and replay. Short clips that encourage loop-backs or rewatching will be treated as higher value per impression.

# Editing variables that move retention

• Loopability: For Shorts and TikTok, design clips that invite replay (tight endings, surprise beats, or circular storytelling).

• Repurposing strategy: Don't reuse the same edit across platforms without platform-specific trims, hooks, and pacing adjustments.

# Cross-platform reporting advice Build separate baselines per platform before benchmarking to industry averages. Use platform-native metrics (AVD for YouTube, completion rate for TikTok, VTR thresholds for LinkedIn) when setting goals and brief editors.

# Quick action checklist for editors

• Define the target retention metric per platform before editing.
• Place the primary hook within the platform's view window.
• Optimize endings for loopability on Short formats.
• Produce platform-specific cuts rather than one-size-fits-all exports.

# Bottom line Interpret retention in the context of how each platform counts views and weights watch behavior. Edit to the metric that drives distribution on that platform rather than a generic "completion" number.