Views and Watch Time by Playback Location

This query provides analytics data about where your YouTube videos are being watched, breaking down views and watch time metrics by different playback locations. This helps understand how viewers are discovering and consuming your content across various platforms and embedding locations.

Example Output

Parameters

Dimension

The dimension is set to "Playback Location Type" which breaks down metrics by where videos are being played.

Start Date

The beginning date for fetching analytics data in format YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2024-01-01).

• Cannot be in the future.

End Date

The end date for fetching analytics data in format YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2024-09-30).

• Cannot be in the future.
• Must be after Start Date.

Tip: For scheduled requests, you may need to update the date daily. Instead of specifying the date manually, you can use 'today' or 'yesterday' as the parameter. When the request runs, the date will automatically adjust to the desired day.

IDs

Specifies the channel for which to retrieve data.

• Options:
  • "channel==MINE": Fetches data for your own channel.
  • "channel==CHANNEL_ID": Retrieves data for a specific channel you own.

Sort (Optional)

You can sort by any of the available metrics:

• Examples:
  • "-views" for sorting by views in descending order
  • "-estimatedMinutesWatched" for sorting by watch time in descending order

Tip: You can find the technical names of the metrics you can sort by when you click on the chart symbol at the bottom of the Parameters section.

Filters (Optional)

Defines specific data criteria:

• Examples:
  • "country==US" to see data only from the United States
  • Can be combined with other filters as needed

Columns

• Dimension: Type of playback location (e.g., YouTube watch page, embedded player, mobile apps).

• Views: Total number of video views from each playback location.

• Estimated Minutes Watched: The estimated total number of minutes that viewers spent watching videos at each playback location.

• Average View Duration: Average length of time viewers watched videos at each location, measured in minutes.

Notes

• Each playback location type represents a different way viewers can access and watch your content:
  • YouTube watch page views
  • Embedded player views on external websites
  • Mobile app views
  • Other platform-specific viewing locations
• Understanding playback locations can help optimize your content distribution strategy
• Results show how engagement metrics vary across different viewing platforms
• This data can be particularly useful for:
  • Understanding where your audience prefers to watch your content
  • Optimizing embedding and distribution strategies
  • Identifying which platforms drive the most engagement