Channel Management | SocialDataCharts Documentation

Adding YouTube Channels

SocialDataCharts makes it easy to add any public YouTube channel for tracking. You can add channels using several different formats.

Supported Input Formats

Full Channel URL: https://youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA
Handle URL: https://youtube.com/@MrBeast
Handle Only: @mkbhd or mkbhd
Channel ID: UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA

How to Add a Channel

Navigate to your Dashboard or the Channels page
Find the "Add YouTube Channel" input field
Paste the channel URL, handle, or ID
Click "Add Channel"

Processing Time: After adding a channel, our system immediately begins collecting data. Initial statistics usually appear within 1-2 minutes. Historical data collection continues in the background.

Channel Limits by Plan

The number of channels you can track depends on your subscription plan. Here's a breakdown:

Plan	Channel Limit	Data Collection	History Retention
Basic	3 channels	Daily	90 days
Pro	15 channels	Every 8 hours	1 year
Enterprise	Unlimited	Hourly	Unlimited
Educator	10 channels	Daily	1 year

Tip: If you've reached your channel limit, you can either upgrade your plan or remove channels you no longer need to make room for new ones.

Removing a Channel

You can remove channels from your tracking list at any time. Here's how:

Go to your Dashboard or Channels page
Find the channel card you want to remove
Click the trash icon or "Remove" button
Confirm the removal in the popup dialog

Data Retention: When you remove a channel, its historical data is retained for 30 days. If you re-add the channel within this period, your data will be restored. After 30 days, the data is permanently deleted.

Data Collection Schedule

SocialDataCharts automatically collects data from all your tracked channels at regular intervals. The frequency depends on your plan.

What Data We Collect

Channel Stats: Subscriber count, total views, video count
Recent Videos: Title, views, likes, comments, publish date
Live Streams: Stream history, duration, concurrent viewers
Channel Info: Description, country, custom URL, thumbnail

Collection Timing

Data collection runs on a schedule based on your plan tier. The exact timing may vary slightly to ensure optimal system performance, but you can expect data to be refreshed within the intervals specified for your plan.

Manual Refresh

While automatic collection happens on schedule, viewing the Analytics page for a channel may trigger additional data fetching if the cache has expired. This ensures you always see relatively recent data.

Channel Ownership Verification

SocialDataCharts offers enhanced features for verified channel owners. By connecting your YouTube account, you can access:

Members-Only Content Analytics: Track performance of members-only videos and streams
Private Video Stats: See analytics for private and unlisted videos
Enhanced Engagement Data: Access additional engagement metrics

How to Verify: On the Analytics page, look for the "Connect as Channel Owner" button. Follow the OAuth flow to securely connect your YouTube account. We only request read-only access to your channel data.

Troubleshooting

Channel Not Found

If you receive a "Channel not found" error:

Verify the channel URL or handle is correct
Ensure the channel is public (we cannot track private channels)
Try using the full channel URL instead of just the handle
The channel may have recently changed its handle

Data Not Updating

If your channel data seems stale:

Check the "Last Updated" timestamp on the channel card
Data updates according to your plan's collection schedule
YouTube's API has rate limits that may occasionally delay updates
Try refreshing the Analytics page to trigger a cache refresh