YouTube Brain

Analytics and Reporting API

3 min read

Analytics and Reporting API

YouTube exposes channel analytics through two distinct APIs over the same data: the Analytics API for real-time targeted queries and the Reporting API for bulk predefined datasets. They power the kind of channel-health automation the brain’s adapters do by hand; choosing the right one depends on whether you want a specific answer now or a daily firehose to warehouse. The Studio equivalent of these metrics is in Studio Analytics.

Analytics API: targeted queries

The Analytics API answers a single reports.query request synchronously. A channel query specifies ids=channel==MINE (or a channel ID), a start and end date, required metrics, and optional dimensions and filters.

  • Metrics include views, estimatedMinutesWatched, averageViewDuration, likes, comments, shares, subscribersGained, and estimatedRevenue.
  • Dimensions include day, month, country, video, ageGroup, gender, deviceType, and insightTrafficSourceType (the API form of the Studio Analytics traffic sources).
  • A report is defined by a combination of dimensions and metrics, optionally constrained by filters.

This is the right tool for a dashboard that asks specific questions, for example watch time by traffic source for the last 28 days.

Reporting API: bulk reports

The Reporting API delivers bulk, predefined reports. The workflow is: call jobs.create with a reportTypeId (for example channel_basic_a3), then enumerate generated reports via jobs.reports.list, then download each via its downloadUrl. Each report covers a 24-hour Pacific-time period as a CSV (optionally gzipped). Reports become retrievable within 48 hours of job creation, YouTube backfills roughly 30 days of history on job creation, standard reports stay available 60 days, and historical reports 30 days. This is the tool for warehousing every day’s data at scale.

Scopes and money

Both use yt-analytics.readonly, and for revenue and ad metrics, yt-analytics-monetary.readonly. Content-owner reports aggregate metrics across all channels linked to a content owner, while channel reports cover one channel. Revenue numbers here are the API source for the RPM and CPM figures a Channel Health Audit reads.

How to apply

  • For a live dashboard, use the Analytics API and request only the metrics and dimensions you display.
  • For a data warehouse or long retention, use the Reporting API and store the daily CSVs yourself.
  • Add the monetary scope only when you need revenue, and treat that data under the no-credentials and storage rules in API Policies and Limits.

Sources

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