Nexlev Logo

Docs

Search documentation

Search docs by page title or heading

CMS Networks

Find out which YouTube network — a CMS content owner — a video or channel belongs to, and explore any network's roster of signed channels. Powered by NexLev's CMS database covering millions of video lookups, with a live CMS API fallback for anything not yet indexed.

Useful for spotting who is actually behind a channel, mapping a network's portfolio before a partnership or acquisition question, and telling a real network apart from a creator who simply monetizes on their own.

Prerequisites

  • Connected AI assistant — Claude, ChatGPT, or any other supported platform
  • Lite, Pro, or Premium plan — Free plans do not have access. Upgrade your plan to get started.

Works with both API-key and OAuth connections. Each tool has its own daily limit — see Rate Limits.

Key Concepts

TermWhat it means
CMS / content ownerA YouTube Content Management System account — what people usually call a "network" or MCN
Linked ownerThe content owner a channel is actually signed to. This is the channel's network
Claiming ownerA rights holder (music label, footage library) that only claimed copyrighted assets used in a video — not the network
Self-monetized partnerA channel monetizing through its own individual partner account (owner type IVP) — no network involved

Don't confuse a claim with a network. A single video can be claimed by several owners — usually music labels for the background track. Only the linked owner tells you which network the channel belongs to.

Tools

get_content_owner

Looks up the CMS content owner of a video or a channel. Pass exactly one identifier — if several are given, video_id wins, then channel_id, then username.

For a video it returns every content owner claiming it: the linked owner is the channel's actual network, while unlinked owners are rights holders that only claimed assets used in that video.

For a channel it aggregates owners across the channel's videos in the CMS database and reports which network the channel belongs to. Channels on their own individual partner account are identified as self-monetized partners rather than shown as a network.

Best for:

  • "Which network is this creator signed to?"
  • "Who claimed this video — and is that the channel's network or just a music label?"
  • "Is this channel independent or backed by a network?"

Example prompts:

Which network is MrBeast signed to?

Who claimed this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Is @channelname signed to a network, or are they self-monetized?

Look up the content owner for channel UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA and include its subscriber and view stats

Who owns this video, and show me the video's title and view count too

Parameters:

ParameterTypeDescription
video_idstringYouTube video ID, e.g. "Af6i6ChAVTw"
channel_idstringYouTube channel ID, e.g. "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
usernamestringChannel handle, e.g. "@MrBeast"
include_channel_statsbooleanAlso fetch public channel stats — subscribers, total views, avg views. Default true
include_video_detailsbooleanVideo lookups only — also return title, views, and likes. Default false

Video lookups are more precise than channel lookups. A channel result is aggregated across its videos, so a channel that recently changed networks may still show traces of the old one. Checking a recent video pins down the current network.

Example Workflows

Is this creator independent?

Is @channelname signed to a network? Check one of their recent videos to be sure, and tell me whether they're self-monetized

Map a network's portfolio

Find the network called Beast Industries, list its channels with subscriber counts, and tell me the combined total views

Then keep asking for the next page — rosters are paginated at up to 20 channels each.

Scout networks in a market

Show me the top 15 company-owned YouTube networks in Germany, then list the channels under the biggest one

Sanity-check a claim on your own video

Who claimed this video, and which of those owners is actually the channel's network?

Combine with monetization research

Which network is this channel signed to, and what do they sell outside of ads?

get_content_owner plus Channel Promotions gives you both sides of a channel's business.

Good to Know

  • Coverage is deep but not total. Lookups are served from a prefetched database of millions of videos, with a live CMS API fallback when a video or channel isn't indexed yet.
  • Networks are ranked by self-reported size. Top-networks ordering uses the network size the CMS itself reports, not NexLev's channel count.
  • Rosters are paginated at up to 20 channels per page — just ask for the next page to keep browsing.
  • Each tool has its own daily limit — spending get_content_owner calls doesn't reduce your search_cms_networks allowance.

Troubleshooting

"Temporarily unavailable" for one video or channel

  • Occasionally a specific lookup can't be served. Retrying a bit later usually works.

A channel shows no network

  • Most likely it monetizes through its own individual partner account — a self-monetized partner (IVP), which is the expected answer, not an error.

Several owners returned for one video

  • Normal. Only the linked owner is the channel's network; the others claimed assets used in the video, typically music.

Name search returns the wrong network

  • Add more of the name, or pass owner_id directly if you have it. Name search is typo-tolerant, which means it can also match loosely.

Empty channel roster

  • The network may have no linked channels in the database. Try include_claims: true to see claimed channels, or drop the country filter.

Top networks include individual partners

  • They're excluded by default. If they appear, content_owner_type: "IVP" was requested explicitly.

Quota limit reached

  • If you've hit your daily limit, Upgrade to Pro for higher quota limits, or enable usage credits to keep going past it.

Rate Limits

CMS tools are available on Lite, Pro, and Premium plans only — Free plan users do not have access.

Tool & DescriptionFreeLitePro
Content owner lookupget_content_ownerWhich network owns a video or channel0515
CMS network searchsearch_cms_networksTop networks, name search, and network rosters0515

Per user · resets every 24 hours

Upgrade to Pro →

Beyond your allowance (pay as you go)

With usage credits enabled in your NexLev account, calls past your daily limit are billed at $0.05 per call from your credit balance — for both CMS tools. Without usage credits, the tools pause at your daily limit and tell you when it resets.

What's Next?

PreviousChannel SearchNextDaily Analytics