Retention

Retention is how much of a delivered count remains after time has passed, and on view services it also describes how long each delivered view keeps watching the video.

In the first sense, retention is drops seen from the other side. If 1,000 followers were delivered and 900 are still there after a month, retention over that month is nine in ten. Like a drop rate, it only means something with the period and the measurement date attached, and it belongs to the supplier that delivered the batch, not to the service name, which can outlive several suppliers.

In the second sense, used on video view services, retention is the length of time each view stays on the video, stated in seconds or minutes or as a share of the video's length. It matters because watch time is counted in minutes watched, not in views. A view service with short retention adds to the view counter while adding very little watch time.

Check which sense a listing uses before you order. A listing for views with high retention is describing watch duration per view, not how long the views stay on the counter. If you need watch hours, order a service sold in watch hours, or check that the stated retention and the video length can produce the hours you need: 1,000 views watching three minutes each is 50 hours, whatever the view counter says.

What it does not mean

Retention is not something a panel controls. A panel can choose suppliers and write refill terms, but it cannot stop a platform from removing accounts. A retention figure in a service description is a seller's claim unless it states when and how it was measured.