---
title: "Analyze Channel Niche API"
description: "AI-powered niche analysis for any YouTube channel — positioning, content strategy, target audience, and competitive landscape."
source: "https://dashboard.nexlev.io/docs/api/analyze-channel-niche"
---

# Analyze Channel Niche API

AI-powered niche analysis for any YouTube channel — positioning, content strategy, target audience, and competitive landscape.

**Base URL**: `https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io` — see [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication).

## Analyze

```http
POST /api/external/niche-overview/analyze
```

**Description**: Perform comprehensive niche analysis on a YouTube channel to understand its positioning, content strategy, target audience, and competitive landscape.

**cURL Example**:

```bash
curl -X POST https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/external/niche-overview/analyze \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"channelId": "UC9XrHBgOxsNFEBXkLtEqCwA"}'
```

**Request Body**:

```json
{
  "channelId": "UC9XrHBgOxsNFEBXkLtEqCwA"
}
```

> **Warning**
>
> 🥞 **Quota Cost: 20 quota per request** — see [Rate Limits &
> Quota](/docs/api/rate-limits).

**Status Code**: `200 OK`

**Description**: Returns comprehensive niche analysis including similar channels ranked by similarity score and sample videos from channels within the same niche. This data helps you understand the competitive landscape and identify content patterns.

**Response Body**:

```json
{
  "originalChannelId": "UC9XrHBgOxsNFEBXkLtEqCwA",
  "similarChannels": [
    {
      "channelId": "UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA",
      "channelName": "Tech Innovators",
      "similarityScore": 72
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ",
      "channelName": "Digital Creators Pro",
      "similarityScore": 68
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCMiJRAwDNSNzuYeN2uWa0pA",
      "channelName": "Content Strategy Hub",
      "similarityScore": 62
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCmlsu3V3SzIm2Jmo0S0qiMg",
      "channelName": "YouTube Mastery",
      "similarityScore": 62
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UC20o1OUWGrixnCEE1gQ9clg",
      "channelName": "Creator Academy",
      "similarityScore": 61
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCSvD1S5kHsr9tvD3gDXkPkQ",
      "channelName": "Growth Hackers TV",
      "similarityScore": 55
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCsTcErHg8oDvUnTzoqsYeNw",
      "channelName": "Viral Video Secrets",
      "similarityScore": 54
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UClXdQLTwoi_hOP_36EtdF1g",
      "channelName": "Algorithm Experts",
      "similarityScore": 54
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UC2q1EOP5KEkKBgFRdnAvpwQ",
      "channelName": "Thumbnail Masters",
      "similarityScore": 53
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCupAYiW_BhnaAVFpA3iB7ng",
      "channelName": "Analytics Guru",
      "similarityScore": 52
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCkPRaVKwxwqKkQsFD_FursQ",
      "channelName": "Video Marketing Pro",
      "similarityScore": 51
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCq30pSBD9tX6d5_xT5aNPoA",
      "channelName": "SEO for Creators",
      "similarityScore": 50
    }
  ],
  "videos": [
    {
      "channelId": "UCSvD1S5kHsr9tvD3gDXkPkQ",
      "channelName": "Growth Hackers TV",
      "channelThumbnail": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-1/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
      "subscriptionCount": 78400,
      "videos": [
        {
          "type": "video",
          "videoId": "V4yjn0Nn4DE",
          "title": "10 YouTube Algorithm Secrets That Will Boost Your Views",
          "description": "",
          "viewCount": "60,298 views",
          "publishedTimeText": "2 months ago",
          "publishDate": "2024-10-02",
          "publishedAt": "2024-10-02T00:00:00Z",
          "lengthText": "12:28",
          "thumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/example-thumbnail-1/hqdefault.jpg",
              "width": 336,
              "height": 188
            }
          ],
          "richThumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/example-thumbnail-1/mqdefault_6s.webp",
              "width": 320,
              "height": 180
            }
          ],
          "vph": 41.063133261187026,
          "outlierScore": 0.4626266891481021
        },
        {
          "type": "video",
          "videoId": "NuMHqlvZ4HQ",
          "title": "How to Create Viral Thumbnails: Complete Guide",
          "description": "",
          "viewCount": "129,684 views",
          "publishedTimeText": "2 months ago",
          "publishDate": "2024-10-02",
          "publishedAt": "2024-10-02T00:00:00Z",
          "lengthText": "5:29",
          "thumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/example-thumbnail-2/hqdefault.jpg",
              "width": 336,
              "height": 188
            }
          ],
          "richThumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/example-thumbnail-2/mqdefault_6s.webp",
              "width": 320,
              "height": 180
            }
          ],
          "vph": 88.31522395176918,
          "outlierScore": 0.9949795939414654
        },
        {
          "type": "video",
          "videoId": "Xyz1234abcd",
          "title": "YouTube SEO Strategy 2024: Rank #1 on Search",
          "description": "",
          "viewCount": "45,821 views",
          "publishedTimeText": "3 months ago",
          "publishDate": "2024-09-15",
          "publishedAt": "2024-09-15T00:00:00Z",
          "lengthText": "8:42",
          "thumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/example-thumbnail-3/hqdefault.jpg",
              "width": 336,
              "height": 188
            }
          ],
          "richThumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/example-thumbnail-3/mqdefault_6s.webp",
              "width": 320,
              "height": 180
            }
          ],
          "vph": 35.78234567890123,
          "outlierScore": 0.3245678901234567
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "channelId": "UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA",
      "channelName": "Tech Innovators",
      "channelThumbnail": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-2/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
      "subscriptionCount": 142500,
      "videos": [
        {
          "type": "video",
          "videoId": "Abc5678efgh",
          "title": "Content Calendar Secrets Every Creator Needs",
          "description": "",
          "viewCount": "87,543 views",
          "publishedTimeText": "1 month ago",
          "publishDate": "2024-11-01",
          "publishedAt": "2024-11-01T00:00:00Z",
          "lengthText": "10:15",
          "thumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/example-thumbnail-4/hqdefault.jpg",
              "width": 336,
              "height": 188
            }
          ],
          "richThumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/example-thumbnail-4/mqdefault_6s.webp",
              "width": 320,
              "height": 180
            }
          ],
          "vph": 52.34567890123456,
          "outlierScore": 0.567890123456789
        },
        {
          "type": "video",
          "videoId": "Def9012ijkl",
          "title": "Monetization Mistakes to Avoid in 2024",
          "description": "",
          "viewCount": "123,456 views",
          "publishedTimeText": "3 weeks ago",
          "publishDate": "2024-11-10",
          "publishedAt": "2024-11-10T00:00:00Z",
          "lengthText": "14:33",
          "thumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/example-thumbnail-5/hqdefault.jpg",
              "width": 336,
              "height": 188
            }
          ],
          "richThumbnail": [
            {
              "url": "https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/example-thumbnail-5/mqdefault_6s.webp",
              "width": 320,
              "height": 180
            }
          ],
          "vph": 73.45678901234567,
          "outlierScore": 0.7890123456789012
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "totalChannels": 12,
  "totalVideos": 703
}
```

**Response Fields**:

- `originalChannelId` - The channel ID that was analyzed
- `similarChannels` - Array of channels similar to the target channel
  - `channelId` - Unique identifier for the similar channel
  - `channelName` - Display name of the similar channel
  - `similarityScore` - Similarity score (0-100), higher indicates greater similarity
- `videos` - Array of sample video collections from similar channels
  - `channelId` - Channel ID of the video owner
  - `channelName` - Name of the channel
  - `channelThumbnail` - URL to the channel's profile image
  - `subscriptionCount` - Number of subscribers on the channel
  - `videos` - Array of video objects from this channel
    - `type` - Content type (typically "video")
    - `videoId` - Unique video identifier
    - `title` - Video title
    - `description` - Video description
    - `viewCount` - Formatted view count
    - `publishedTimeText` - Human-readable publish time (e.g., "2 months ago")
    - `publishDate` - ISO date of publication
    - `publishedAt` - ISO 8601 timestamp
    - `lengthText` - Video duration
    - `thumbnail` - Array of thumbnail objects with URL, width, and height
    - `richThumbnail` - Array of animated thumbnail objects (if available)
    - `vph` - Views per hour metric
    - `outlierScore` - Performance score indicating how much the video outperforms average
- `totalChannels` - Total number of similar channels found
- `totalVideos` - Total number of sample videos included

## Error Responses

### Bad Request

**Status Code**: `400 Bad Request`

**Description**: The request was invalid or malformed.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": 400,
    "message": "Invalid channel ID format",
    "details": "Channel ID must be a valid YouTube channel identifier"
  }
}
```

### Unauthorized

**Status Code**: `401 Unauthorized`

**Description**: Authentication credentials are missing or invalid.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": 401,
    "message": "Unauthorized",
    "details": "Invalid API key or credentials not provided. Create your API key at https://dashboard.nexlev.io/nexlev-api/create-api-key"
  }
}
```

### Not Found

**Status Code**: `404 Not Found`

**Description**: The specified channel could not be found.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": 404,
    "message": "Channel not found",
    "details": "No channel exists with the provided channel ID"
  }
}
```

### Rate Limit

**Status Code**: `429 Too Many Requests`

**Description**: You have exceeded your API rate limit.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": 429,
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded",
    "details": "You have exceeded your API quota. Please try again later.",
    "retryAfter": 3600
  }
}
```

### Service Unavailable

**Status Code**: `503 Service Unavailable`

**Description**: The AI analysis service is temporarily unavailable.

```json
{
  "error": {
    "code": 503,
    "message": "Analysis service unavailable",
    "details": "The niche analysis engine is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes.",
    "retryAfter": 300
  }
}
```
