# YouTube Channel Live Streams: live now, upcoming and past (`steadydata/youtube-channel-live`) Actor

YouTube live streams per channel: every stream on the channel's Live tab, up to 100 channels per run: live now with viewers watching, scheduled with the start time, and past streams with views and duration. One row per stream, in YouTube's order. No viewer or chat data. Pay per delivered stream.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-live.md
- **Developed by:** [Steadydata Team](https://apify.com/steadydata) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Marketing, Automation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 12 total users, 4 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.65 / 1,000 stream listeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Channel Live Streams: live now, upcoming and past

Every stream on a YouTube channel's Live tab, up to 100 channels per run: live now with viewers watching, scheduled with the start time, and past streams with views and duration. One row per stream, in YouTube's order. No viewer or chat data. Pay per delivered stream.

### Why this scraper

- **You pay for what was checked and delivered.** Inputs that fail (a channel that does not
  exist, a blocked request) come back as clear error records at no cost. From 9 November 2026 a
  channel whose Live tab was read costs a small `channel-checked` fee, also when it has no streams.
- **Measured on a real channel** (@NASA, 15 September 2026): 20 streams in one run, one
  scheduled with its start time, two live with viewers watching, seventeen past with views
  and duration, for a platform cost of a twentieth of a cent.
- **The Live tab only.** The other YouTube actors in the Store return uploads or search
  results; this one reads the channel's Live tab, so you get streams and nothing else, with
  the state YouTube shows on the card.
- **Slim route, no browser.** The same lightweight endpoint as our Shorts actor: about 30
  streams per page, a few kilobytes each.

### Who this is for

Monitoring channels that stream: which broadcasts are live right now and how many are
watching, what is scheduled and when, and what past streams drew. Newsrooms, sports and
esports analysts, agencies tracking clients' channels, and anyone building a live-stream
calendar. Up to 100 channels per run, up to 500 streams each, filterable by state.

### Who this is not for

- **Chat messages or viewer identities.** Not delivered; only counts.
- **Channels without a Live tab.** They return a `NO_STREAMS` record. Until 8 November 2026 at
  no cost; from 9 November 2026 it costs the `channel-checked` fee, because the Live tab was read.
- **Exact concurrent-viewer history.** `viewerCount` is the number on the card at run time,
  not a time series.

### Input fields

| Field | Type | Required or default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| `channels` | list of text | required | One per row, up to 100: an @handle, a channel id (UC...) or a channel URL. |
| `maxStreamsPerChannel` | number | 30 | Cost ceiling per channel; YouTube lists newest first. |
| `statuses` | list of text | empty | Any of live, upcoming, past. Empty includes all three. |
| `language` | text | en | Two-letter code for labels. |
| `country` | text | US | Two-letter code. |

### Input example

```json
{
    "channels": [
        "@NASA"
    ],
    "maxStreamsPerChannel": 30,
    "statuses": [],
    "language": "en",
    "country": "US"
}
```

### Output example

| Field | Type | What it holds | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| `channelId` | text | The channel id (UC...), stable where the channel name can change. | `UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ` |
| `channelUrl` | text | The channel page on YouTube. | `https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ` |
| `channelName` | text | The channel that published the video. | `NASA` |
| `position` | number | The place of the row in the list that was read, counting from 1. | `1` |
| `videoId` | text | The eleven-character YouTube id of the video, the key to join other data on. | `7ZiUbT1-djA` |
| `url` | text | The watch page of the video. | `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZiUbT1-djA` |
| `title` | text | The title as the uploader set it. | `NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Launch` |
| `viewerCount` | number | People watching at this moment, filled only while the stream is live. | `3` |
| `viewCount` | number | Total views of the stream, filled once it has ended. | `91000` |
| `scheduledStartAt` | text | When an upcoming stream is planned to start. | `2026-10-01T13:20:00Z` |
| `streamedText` | text | How long ago YouTube says the stream ran, for example "Streamed 3 days ago". | `Streamed 1 day ago` |
| `durationSeconds` | number | The length of the stream in seconds; empty while it is still running. | `3611` |
| `thumbnailUrl` | text | The largest thumbnail YouTube offers for the video. | `https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7ZiUbT1-djA/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEh...` |
| `streamStatus` | text | live, upcoming or ended. | `upcoming` |

```json
{
    "channelId": "UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ",
    "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ",
    "channelName": "NASA",
    "position": 2,
    "videoId": "M3HKLzjvKPc",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3HKLzjvKPc",
    "title": "Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream)",
    "streamStatus": "live",
    "viewerCount": 173,
    "viewCount": null,
    "scheduledStartAt": null,
    "streamedText": null,
    "durationSeconds": null,
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M3HKLzjvKPc/hqdefault.jpg",
    "status": "ok"
}
```

Error codes: `INVALID_CHANNEL`, `CHANNEL_NOT_FOUND`, `NO_STREAMS` (no Live tab, or nothing in
the states you asked for), `BLOCKED` (after retries on fresh exits). None is charged.

### Related actors from steadydata

- [youtube-channel-videos](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-videos): the regular uploads of the same channel
- [youtube-video-details](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-video-details): full metadata for a stream you found
- [youtube-channel-details](https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-details): the channel profile: subscribers, total views, country

### Pricing

Pay per event: one `stream-listed` event per delivered result. **From 9 November 2026** also one
`channel-checked` event ($0.0005) per channel whose Live tab was read, with or without streams:
checking a channel takes the same fetch whether anything is live or not. No charge for a channel
that does not exist or a request that was blocked, no separate platform-usage surcharge.

**Example:** you check 100 channels and 2 are live with 3 streams in total. From 9 November you
pay 100 x $0.0005 + 3 x $0.001 = $0.053.

**Free Apify plan:** this actor delivers up to 25 rows per run for accounts on the Apify free
plan, and then stops with a message. That limit is set by us, not by Apify. It exists so the
actor keeps paying for itself for the people who do pay. Any paid Apify plan runs it at full
size, billed per delivered row, with failed rows never charged.

**Reviews:** if this actor saves you time, a short review on this page is the one thing that
helps most. Ratings are what other buyers look at first, and we have no other way to ask.

### Use with AI agents

AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can run this actor through Apify's own MCP server. Ask for the actor `steadydata/youtube-channel-live` by its full name, so the assistant does not pick a different one, and start from this minimal input:

```json
{
  "channels": [
    "@NASA"
  ]
}
```

The assistant can read the price per event from the Pricing section above before the first paid run. Failed input comes back as an error row, as described above.

### FAQ

**Which fields are filled for which state?** `viewerCount` is set for `live` (watching) and
`upcoming` (waiting); `scheduledStartAt` only for `upcoming` (ISO-8601, UTC); `viewCount`,
`durationSeconds` and `streamedText` only for `past`. The other fields are empty on purpose.

**Can I get only what is live now?** Set `statuses` to `live`; `upcoming` and `past` work the
same way, and any combination is allowed.

**In what order do streams come?** YouTube's own order on the Live tab, newest first;
`position` counts from 1 after the filter.

**What happens with a handle that does not exist?** A `CHANNEL_NOT_FOUND` error record and
no charge.

**Is personal data collected?**
No. Stream titles, states, counts and times only; no chat, no viewers.

**What happens when the source changes?**
Sources change from time to time; that is the nature of this work. The actor is
monitored daily and fixed fast, and while it is broken you are not charged: a blocked or
failed channel is never billed.

**Can I call it from my own code, like an API?**
Yes. Every run is available through the Apify API: start it with one HTTP request, then read
the results as JSON, CSV or Excel from the dataset endpoint, or use the official Python and
JavaScript clients. The input is the same JSON as in the input example above, so a scheduled
script, a Make or Zapier step or an AI agent can call it without any changes.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/steadydata/youtube-channel-live/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `channels` (type: `array`):

One per row, up to 100: an @handle, a channel id (UC...) or a channel URL.

## `maxStreamsPerChannel` (type: `integer`):

Cost ceiling per channel; YouTube lists newest first.

## `statuses` (type: `array`):

Any of live, upcoming, past. Empty includes all three.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Two-letter code for labels.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter code.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channels": [
    "@NASA"
  ],
  "maxStreamsPerChannel": 30,
  "statuses": [],
  "language": "en",
  "country": "US"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "channels": [
        "@NASA"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("steadydata/youtube-channel-live").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "channels": ["@NASA"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("steadydata/youtube-channel-live").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "channels": [
    "@NASA"
  ]
}' |
apify call steadydata/youtube-channel-live --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,steadydata/youtube-channel-live"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/t1LbxKzcgO8IBT3aK/builds/wx31wBfbxuRApLRdG/openapi.json