ThruPlay

A ThruPlay is Meta's measure of a video ad that was actually watched: one is counted each time your video plays to completion or for at least 15 seconds. The same word names a performance goal, which asks Meta to show the ad to people likely to watch that far, and a billing option where you pay per ThruPlay instead of per thousand impressions.

How does Meta define a ThruPlay?

Meta's video ad metrics page gives the definition: "The number of times your video was played to completion, or for at least 15 seconds." The metric's own glossary entry, now titled "15-second ThruPlays", explains the count:

Each 15-second ThruPlay counts when your video was played for at least its set duration or, for videos shorter than that duration, after at least 97% of the video was played.

Two details matter. It counts video watched, not time passed: "This metric counts how much of a video was played, instead of the amount of time that passed while the video was playing." And replays don't add up. Meta's calculation page gives the example: watching the first 10 seconds, then the first 5 again, "wouldn't be considered a 15 second (ThruPlay) video play".

Is there a 6-second ThruPlay?

Yes. Meta's About ThruPlay page says "ThruPlay is available at durations of 6 seconds or 15 seconds":

The 6-second ThruPlays metric carries Meta's "in development" label. Meta's page on that label says such metrics shouldn't be used for "Historical comparison of advertising performance".

Where can you use ThruPlay as a goal?

The About ThruPlay page lists the Awareness and Engagement objectives, "for both auction and Reservation campaigns". The formats are single video and Instant Experience, and ThruPlay billing isn't supported for Instant Experience. On placements, it covers Facebook Feed, in-stream video, Stories, Marketplace, Facebook Business Explore, Reels and search, Instagram Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore and search, Messenger Stories and WhatsApp Status. Meta explains the 97% rule there too: "people frequently drop off when credits roll or content fades out before the end of a video."

What it means for your ads

• At 15 seconds or less, a ThruPlay means the whole ad was seen. Past 15 seconds it counts at the 15-second mark, before your ending.
• Short videos count when they are nearly finished. A 6-second video counts a 15-second ThruPlay at 97% completion, so a short cut reaches a ThruPlay sooner.
• Compare ThruPlays with 3-second plays. Meta's hold rate divides one by the other to show whether people who stopped kept watching.
• Length also changes delivery. Facebook in-stream truncates after 15 seconds and Facebook Stories splits longer videos into cards, as Meta video ad best practices sets out by placement.

Common mistakes

• Reading a ThruPlay as a completed view. For a video longer than 15 seconds, it is not.
• Comparing 6-second ThruPlays across months. Meta tells you not to while the metric is in development.

Sources

• About video ad metrics — Meta Business Help Center: the ThruPlay and 3-second play definitions (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
• 15-second ThruPlays — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: how a ThruPlay is counted, the 97% rule, replays excluded (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
• About video ad metrics calculation — Meta Business Help Center: the unique-seconds method and the rewind example (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
• About ThruPlay — Meta Business Help Center: the 6s and 15s goals, objectives, billing, placements, formats and the 97% reason (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
• 6-second ThruPlays — Meta Business Help Center metric glossary: the 6-second count and its "in development" label (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)
• About estimated, in development and third-party metrics — Meta Business Help Center: what "in development" means and what not to use such metrics for (rendered in a browser, accessed 2026-10-16)

---

Meta's help pages are client-rendered and show no date; they were read in a real browser on 16 October 2026. The 6-second ThruPlay is new and labeled in development, so check the live pages before you build reporting on it.

Terrads makes video ads at 6, 15 or 30 seconds, so you can run a cut that ends exactly where a ThruPlay is counted.