What Is User Watch History?
A user's Watch History shows data regarding exactly what pieces of content a member has viewed on your platform. This allows you to view what pieces of content a particular user viewed, how long they watched this content for, how much of the video they watched, and more. This data helps you understand content engagement and viewing patterns for each individual member of your store.
Where to Find Watch History
You can access a Member's watch history in two main areas:
Within the People tab
Navigate to the People tab in your Admin Area.
Click on the name of any member.
Scroll to the Watch History card.
You can click on View all watch history to view the full history for that user.
This view shows each video the user has watched in the last 12 months.
Within Content Analytics
Navigate to the Analytics tab in your Admin Area.
Under the Content section, select the Viewers tab.
Use filters or search to drill down into individual user viewing activity.
This section provides a detailed breakdown of watch activity per viewer. It also allows you to see averages of all user's view history based off of the filters selected.
Exporting Watch History Data
This process depends on whether you want to get specific data for one user, or summarized data for multiple users.
To get data for individual videos:
From the People tab, select Export CSV from the top right and choose the Video Stats report
To get summarized data across all saved watch history:
From the Analytics tab, under Content, Export Data to download viewer data for your content
What’s Included in Watch History
Each video entry in a Member’s Watch History shows:
Video Title
Timestamp of most recent view
Total Watch Time for each video
Completion Percentage for each video
Most Recent Location Watched for each video
Does Watch History Sync Across Mobile Apps?
Watch History will sync across all platforms, including web and OTT apps.
📌 If a member watches a video while offline (via mobile apps), data will only appear after the device reconnects and syncs.
Limitations of Watch History
Watch History data can be a helpful tool for monitoring user engagement. However, the analytics found in the Watch History section are not precise measurements.
As these analytics function within an uncontrolled environment (end-user devices, browsers, networks, etc.), some level of inaccuracy is unavoidable.
📌 No engagement analytics system is 100% accurate, including those used by platforms other than Uscreen. Our team has taken steps and designed our system to provide data that is as accurate as possible.
What Causes Watch History Inaccuracy?
There are several potential causes of inaccuracy with watch history analytics, including:
Network delays on an end-user's device
Ad blockers or privacy tools installed in the browser
Users closing the browser tab or app abruptly
VPNs or firewalls interfering with data transmission
Watch History data is delayed by up to 24 hours, meaning videos watched today may not appear in watch history until the next day
Watch events older than 12 months will not be stored
Offline viewing won't sync until the device reconnects to a network
There are several reasons that these events can cause inaccuracy:
Tracking is Event-based - Our analytics rely on playback events (e.g., play, pause, stop) rather than continuous data streaming
Our analytics rely on data sent to our servers during playback, which can be blocked by ad blockers or privacy extensions
Tracking is not done in real-time, meaning that there can be delays in watch history analytics
💡 For the most accurate insights, cross-reference Watch History with Content Analytics and focus on viewing trends over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can users see their own Watch History?
A: No, Watch History is only visible to Admins in the dashboard.
Q: Why is a video missing from a Member’s history?
A: It may have been watched over 12 months ago, or in a way that bypassed tracking (such as due to VPN use).
Q: Can I see Watch History for free content?
A: Yes, as long as the content is played by a logged-in user and falls within the 12-month window.