Streaming Glossary
Your comprehensive guide to streaming, monetization, and analytics terminology
Monetization
CPM (Cost Per Mille)
The cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. Higher CPM rates typically come from premium content categories and audiences in countries with strong advertising markets.
RPM (Revenue Per Mille)
The actual revenue a creator earns per 1,000 views after YouTube's cut. RPM gives a more accurate picture of earnings than CPM as it accounts for all revenue sources including ads, memberships, and Super Chats.
Ad Revenue
Income generated from advertisements shown on your content. This includes pre-roll, mid-roll, and display ads. Ad revenue varies based on factors like viewer demographics, content category, and seasonality.
AdSense
Google's advertising platform that connects creators with advertisers. YouTube uses AdSense to deliver ads and process payments to monetized channels.
Monetization
The process of earning money from your content. On YouTube, this requires meeting the YouTube Partner Program requirements: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months.
Super Chat
A paid message feature during live streams that highlights a viewer's message. Super Chats are pinned in the chat for a duration based on the amount paid, providing direct viewer-to-creator support.
Channel Membership
A recurring subscription where viewers pay monthly for exclusive perks like custom badges, emotes, and members-only content. Available to channels with 1,000+ subscribers.
Streaming
24/7 Streaming
Continuous live streaming that runs around the clock without interruption. Popular for music channels, ambient content, and looping video content. Requires stable infrastructure and automated systems to maintain.
Bitrate
The amount of data transmitted per second in your stream, measured in Kbps or Mbps. Higher bitrates mean better quality but require more bandwidth. YouTube recommends 4,500-9,000 Kbps for 1080p streams.
Latency
The delay between when something happens in real-time and when viewers see it. YouTube offers Normal latency (~20s), Low latency (~5s), and Ultra-low latency (~2s) options.
RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol)
The standard protocol for streaming video to platforms like YouTube. RTMP handles the connection between your encoder and the streaming server.
Stream Key
A unique code that connects your encoder to your YouTube channel. Keep this private - anyone with your stream key can broadcast to your channel.
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
Free, open-source software for video recording and live streaming. OBS is widely used for its flexibility, plugin support, and zero cost.
Encoder
Software or hardware that converts raw video into a streamable format. Popular software encoders include OBS, Streamlabs, and XSplit. Hardware encoders offer dedicated processing power for streaming.
Re-streaming
Broadcasting a single stream to multiple platforms simultaneously. Services like YouCast enable re-streaming to reach audiences across YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and more.
Simulcasting
Similar to re-streaming, simulcasting means streaming the same content to multiple platforms at once. Some platforms have exclusivity requirements that restrict simulcasting.
Analytics
Watch Hours
The total time viewers spend watching your content. YouTube requires 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months for monetization. For live streams, only public portions count toward this total.
Impressions
The number of times your video thumbnail is shown to potential viewers. Impressions only count when at least 50% of the thumbnail is visible for at least one second.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of impressions that result in views. A higher CTR indicates your thumbnail and title are compelling. Most YouTube channels see CTRs between 2-10%.
Average View Duration
The average time viewers spend watching a video before leaving. This metric heavily influences YouTube's algorithm - higher retention signals quality content.
Audience Retention
A graph showing what percentage of viewers are still watching at each point in your video. Spikes indicate rewatched sections; drops indicate where viewers leave.
Traffic Source
Where your viewers discover your content. Common sources include YouTube Search, Suggested Videos, Browse Features, External, and Direct/Unknown. Understanding traffic sources helps optimize content strategy.
Technical
Thumbnail
The preview image that represents your video. Custom thumbnails can significantly impact CTR. YouTube recommends 1280x720 resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Algorithm
YouTube's recommendation system that determines which videos to suggest to viewers. The algorithm considers watch time, engagement, relevance, and viewer history to personalize recommendations.
Content ID
YouTube's system for identifying and managing copyrighted content. Rights holders can choose to block, monetize, or track videos containing their content.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A way for software applications to communicate with YouTube. Services like YouCast use YouTube's API to manage streams, analytics, and channel operations programmatically.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A distributed network of servers that delivers content to viewers from the closest geographic location. CDNs reduce latency and ensure smooth playback worldwide.
Transcoding
Converting video from one format or quality level to another. YouTube automatically transcodes uploaded videos into multiple resolutions (360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, etc.) for adaptive streaming.