How to get number of video views with YouTube API?

Question

The question is very simple. How to get number of video views with YouTube API?

The task is simple but I would like to use that query on large number of videos very often. Is there any way to call their Youtube API and get it? (something like facebook http://api.facebook.com/restserver.php?method=links.getStats&urls=developers.facebook.com)

Answer 1

I think, the easiest way, is to get video info in JSON format. If you want to use JavaScript, try jQuery.getJSON()... But I prefer PHP:

<?php $video_ID = 'your-video-ID'; $JSON = file_get_contents("https://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/videos/{$video_ID}?v=2&alt=json"); $JSON_Data = json_decode($JSON); $views = $JSON_Data->{'entry'}->{'yt$statistics'}->{'viewCount'}; echo $views; ?> 

Ref: Youtube API - Retrieving information about a single video

Answer 2

You can use the new YouTube Data API v3

if you retrieve the video, the statistics part contains the viewCount:

from the doc:

https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/videos#resource

statistics.viewCount / The number of times the video has been viewed.

You can retrieve this info in the client side, or in the server side using some of the client libraries:

https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/libraries

And you can test the API call from the doc:

https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/videos/list

Sample:

Request:

GET https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/videos?part=statistics&id=Q5mHPo2yDG8&key={YOUR_API_KEY}  Authorization:  Bearer ya29.AHES6ZSCT9BmIXJmjHlRlKMmVCU22UQzBPRuxzD7Zg_09hsG X-JavaScript-User-Agent:  Google APIs Explorer 

Response:

200 OK  - Show headers -  {  "kind": "youtube#videoListResponse",  "etag": "\"g-RLCMLrfPIk8n3AxYYPPliWWoo/dZ8K81pnD1mOCFyHQkjZNynHpYo\"",  "pageInfo": {   "totalResults": 1,   "resultsPerPage": 1  },  "items": [   {     "id": "Q5mHPo2yDG8",    "kind": "youtube#video",    "etag": "\"g-RLCMLrfPIk8n3AxYYPPliWWoo/4NA7C24hM5mprqQ3sBwI5Lo9vZE\"",    "statistics": {     "viewCount": "36575966",     "likeCount": "127569",     "dislikeCount": "5715",     "favoriteCount": "0",     "commentCount": "20317"    }   }  ] }