What metric, beyond simple watch time, directly measures user engagement and positively influences long-term content visibility?

Completion rate, which is the percentage of a title that a user finishes watching, directly measures user engagement and positively influences long-term content visibility. While watch time indicates the total amount of time a user spends watching a piece of content, completion rate provides a more accurate measure of whether a user found the content engaging enough to watch it in its entirety. A high completion rate signals to the algorithm that the content is satisfying user expectations and is therefore more likely to be recommended to other users. For example, a movie with a high completion rate suggests that viewers found the movie engaging enough to watch until the end, implying that the recommendation algorithm accurately matched the content to user preferences. This positive signal can lead to improved discoverability and prominence in recommendations, thereby boosting long-term content visibility. Conversely, a low completion rate suggests that users are losing interest or finding the content unsatisfactory, which can negatively impact its visibility and future recommendations. Completion rate is a strong indicator of user satisfaction and content quality, directly affecting how the algorithm promotes and ranks content over time.