# New YouTube API — videos, channels, playlists, and Shorts as JSON

> Source: https://scrape.do/documentation/changelog/2026-05-11-youtube-api/

2026-05-11 · feature

A new dedicated endpoint scrapes YouTube's search page and returns every visible surface as structured JSON: videos, channels, playlists, Shorts shelves, ads, and the discovery rails YouTube interleaves alongside the results. No JavaScript rendering, no headless browser, no protobuf decoding.

## What you get back

Every response carries result arrays you can dispatch on:

| Array | Populated when |
|---|---|
| `video_results` | Always (returns `[]` when no videos match) |
| `channel_results` | When the channels filter is set (`sp=EgIQAg==`) or the query surfaces channel cards |
| `playlist_results` | When the playlists filter is set (`sp=EgIQAw==`) |
| `shorts_results` | When YouTube interleaves a Shorts shelf |
| `ads_results` | When the page renders a promoted entry |
| `people_also_watched` / `from_related_searches` / `channels_new_to_you` / `explore_more` | When the matching discovery rail renders |
| `related_searches` | Refinement chips above the result list |
| `pagination` | When a continuation cursor exists |

Views come back as parsed integers (`1.2M views` → `1200000`), `extensions: ["4K"]` is already extracted on every video, and the channel object carries the verified-badge flag and avatar URL.

## One token for filters and pagination

`sp` is YouTube's opaque token. Short values control sort (rating, upload date, view count), result type (videos / channels / playlists), duration (under 4 min, 4–20 min, over 20 min), features (4K, HD, LIVE, CC), and upload date (last hour through this year). Long values are continuation cursors emitted in `pagination.next_page_token`. The plugin routes both automatically.

## Localization

`hl` controls the language of `published_date`, `length`, and view-count suffixes; `gl` influences ranking and which shelves render. Match them (e.g., `hl=de&gl=de`) for the cleanest locale experience.

Each request costs 10 credits. See the [YouTube API documentation](/documentation/youtube-api) for the full parameter list, response schema for every result type, and the complete `sp` token table.