YouTube News

YouTube confirmed a limited Channel Search test for brands

VidIQ posted a screenshot of the creator discovery tab before YouTube described the limited brand-only experiment.

By The Creator Wire Staff Published Oct. 8, 2026

VidIQ shared a screenshot on X that showed a YouTube Studio tab labeled for creator discovery, with backend-style analytics visible for the product reviewer Sambucha. YouTube later confirmed it had run an experiment called Channel Search for a small number of brand channels.

The VidIQ post said users could search channels and see unique viewers, watch time, audience age and gender, and top countries. YouTube said the data matched public information already available through the Creator Partner Hub from creators who opted into sharing.

A YouTube spokesperson said the test strictly targets brand channels only and would not become a tool for creators to compare stats with peers. YouTube discovered one non-brand account had received access and rolled back the experiment after that error.