TrueView vs Video Views campaigns
This page dates fast. Sourced from Google documentation only; on the quarterly re-verify list.
What TrueView was
Single-format skippable in-stream bought on max CPV: you named a ceiling per 30-second view Google Ads Help, video ad views, 2026and paid only when someone did not skip. Clean unit, clean price, the format this site's YouTube solver assumes.
What Video Views campaigns change
VVC serves one budget across in-stream, in-feed, and Shorts inventory, optimizing for view volume. Google's bidding documentation carries the mechanics Google, Ad tools bidding page, 2026. The consequence for your reporting: a "view" in a VVC line blends formats with different view actions and different clearing prices, so the campaign CPV is a mix-weighted average, not a price for one thing. Cheaper blended CPVs after migration are usually mix shift toward Shorts-style inventory Veefly, YouTube Advertising Cost, 2026, the exact trap worked in the split-test scenario.
Can you still buy pure CPV in-stream?
Manual CPV bidding remains documented in Google Ads' CPV bidding help Google, Ad tools bidding page, 2026, and format-specific campaign setups still exist alongside VVC. Check the current campaign-type matrix in Ads Manager against Google's docs at build time of your own plan; this is the fastest-moving surface Google owns, which is why every claim on this page carries its ledger chip and nothing here quotes a third party.
Practical next steps: CPV bidding mechanics, the YouTube bands, and per-format view definitions.