The formats that charge at ten seconds
Two placements settle their billing at ten seconds. Shorts counts a view at 10 seconds or the end of the video, whichever comes first. In-feed video is charged on a click, or on 10 seconds of autoplay in a Video View campaign. As of 2026-09-12.
| Item | What is published | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts | 10 seconds or the end | Whichever comes first |
| In-feed video | A click, or 10 seconds of autoplay | In a Video View campaign |
| Both | No stated maximum length | Google publishes no ceiling for either |
Inclusion rule. Durations and billing conditions stated on Google's own video ad formats help page. Values that page does not give are recorded as not stated. Order. As the help page orders them.
1Ten seconds is where the creative decision actually sits
If the money changes hands at ten seconds, the first ten seconds are what the buyer is paying for whether or not the piece runs longer. That fixes the hook inside a window shorter than most generated clips, and it is a published number rather than a rule of thumb.
It also means length beyond that point is a creative choice rather than a billing one, which is the opposite of how the in-stream formats behave.
2No stated maximum is not the same as no limit
Google's help page gives no ceiling for either placement. That is recorded as not stated rather than as unlimited, because the absence of a figure on one page is not a commitment anywhere.
For a production it means the constraint comes from somewhere else: the tool's clip ceiling, the edit, or the audience. None of those is on the help page and the register does not invent a number to fill the cell.
3Generated creative fits these two more easily than the rest
A piece whose job is done in ten seconds is within one generation on every tool in this register that publishes a duration. No joins, no continuity problem, no compositing step.
That makes these the placements where generated video has the least to overcome, which is worth stating plainly because the harder formats get more attention.
- ShortsA view is counted at 10 seconds or the end of the video, whichever comes firstwhat counts as a view
- In-feed videoCharged on a click, or on 10 seconds of autoplay in a Video View campaignwhat counts as a view
4A generator's ad pipeline
For ad work around “Ten seconds”, SceneMixer's pages explain how its ad projects are produced:
Typically 60–120 seconds, always 9:16 vertical, ending on a hook. SceneMixer's episode outlines are generated with that pacing, and setting a project to 9:16 makes every segment vertical (the default is 16:9).
SceneMixer, How to Make ReelShort-Style Dramas with AI — “How long is a ReelShort-style episode?” (read 2026-10-13)
Paste a scene or a short script and SceneMixer gives you a storyboard — numbered shots with framing and seconds — and then a moving version of each segment, which you can join into a rough cut of the scene.
SceneMixer, Using SceneMixer for Previs and Animatics Before a Live-Action Shoot (read 2026-10-13)
5Sources
Format requirements come from Google Ads Help and tool limits from each vendor page listed on published limits, both read 2026-09-12. The rule against mixing the two is on method. Nearby: Shape first, Resolutions, The first five.