Facebook has overestimated how much video people have watched for the last two years, the firm has admitted.
One advertiser suggested that, in some cases, video viewing statistics had been overestimated by up to 80%.
Facebook's analytics are an important tool for advertisers, who use them to work out how much of their video content is being watched.
The social network said the error had been fixed and had not changed how much advertisers paid the site.
'Unacceptable' behaviour
The error affected a Facebook metric called "average duration of video viewed", which was supposed to tell publishers for how long, on average, people had watched a video.
However, the metric did not include viewers who had watched for less than three seconds in the count.
Discounting the shorter views - including people who had ignored a video in their news feed - inflated the average viewing times for each video.
In a statement, Facebook said: "We recently discovered an error in the way we calculate one of our video metrics.
"This error has been fixed, it did not impact billing, and we have notified our partners both through our product dashboards and via sales and publisher outreach," it added.
The video-watching metric has now been renamed to more accurately reflect what it measures, the company said.
The metric is now called "average watch time" and Facebook started using this to gather statistics on video consumption late last month.
The statement also said the video-viewing metric was one among many that ad firms use to work out if their content is being watched.
The Wall Street Journal quoted ad-buying firm Publicis as saying that Facebook's misreporting was "unacceptable".
Publicis said it showed the need for third-party verification of statistics gathered by Facebook.
The social network has previously been criticised for counting a video as being "viewed" after three seconds.
Latest Stories
-
Wimbledon winner Purcell admits anti-doping breach
5 minutes -
Political party influence undermines leadership independence, says Prince Kofi Amoabeng
9 minutes -
CHASS advises against reopening schools on Jan. 3 until financial arrears are cleared
19 minutes -
Newmont’s Akyem Vocational Institute unveils battery-powered fufu machine at graduation ceremony
22 minutes -
Newmont reinforces cultural heritage commitment in host communities
31 minutes -
Oti Region records over 10 road accident deaths from January to September this year
36 minutes -
Ecobank Ghana inaugurates ‘Ecobank Retirees Association’: A legacy of fellowship and service
42 minutes -
Optimal OMD appoints Taniya Mondal as MD
56 minutes -
Lekzy DeComic hailed for masterful emceeing at OB Amponsah’s comedy show
57 minutes -
Premier Care Hospital sparks joy with second annual nine lessons and carols night!
57 minutes -
OB Amponsah fills 4,000 capacity Bukom Boxing Arena with comedy special
1 hour -
Bridging digital and human intellect: Africa’s Path from 4IR to 5IR
1 hour -
How Newmont’s Learnership Programme empowered Dorcas Oppong to achieve her dreams
1 hour -
Kenya’s Ruto embraces rivals to shore up support
1 hour -
The student who blew whistle on Kenya airport controversy
1 hour