YouTube Algorithms and "Related" Channels

[Akio-]

I was browsing through my subscriptions when I noticed a pattern with the 'Related Channels' box on the lower right hand side of the channel page.

Channels like LeafyIsHere and some of the various BuzzFeed channels have been repeatedly appearing in the boxes when they have 0 significance or relevance to the channel and don't share a similar type of content with the channels.

For example, xLeahBee (videogamedunkey's girlfriend) is a channel mainly about blogs with her and the dunk.

The channels don't share literally any similarities with each other.

Here's a list of some channels (that I know of) that feature LeafyisHere or BuzzFeed channels that have no relation to them in any form:

iDubbbzgames - Channel where iDubbbz plays a few games. Both Leafy and Pyrocynical are 'related'.
Mike Diva - Channel full of really cool video editing and skits. Somehow related to PewDiePie, Leafy, and DramaAlert
Razer - The loving Razer YouTube channel
loltyler1 - LoL YouTuber / Streamer
vvvortic  - LoL satire channel
Sky Williams - LoL vlogger

What about these channels makes the YouTube algorithm promote them seemingly everywhere?

Discuss this / other channels that share a similar problem

 

[Ad Bot]

[Drydess]

did you click on like leafyishere videos on drama threads or whatnot because, i've discovered that for some reason in those channels that pump out like 3 stuffty videos a day it only takes s single video for youtube to think you like it

[Whackin]

i think that instead of actually being "related" theyre just popular youtubers. Its also possible that they use similar tags on their videos (satire or not) which puts them into the algorithm.

[WaterOre]

As far as I can tell, youtube's algorithms work like this:

1. Does the channel have the same focus as the channel currently being browsed?
2. Does the channel have a lot of subscribers?
3. Does the channel have a lot of videos?

If all of the above answer "yes", then the channels are related.

Something similar happens in related video algorithms, leading to conspiracy-based clickbait often appearing on scientific or educational videos.

[Torin]

they probably pay youtube for them to show up there lmao

[Trogtor]

youtube takes everyones mutual subscribers and uses those as "related" channels

[Akio-]

As far as I can tell, youtube's algorithms work like this:

1. Does the channel have the same focus as the channel currently being browsed?
2. Does the channel have a lot of subscribers?
3. Does the channel have a lot of videos?

If all of the above answer "yes", then the channels are related.

Something similar happens in related video algorithms, leading to conspiracy-based clickbait often appearing on scientific or educational videos.

Some of the channels like Leabee and even Razer don't fit 2 out of the 3 of those.

did you click on like leafyishere videos on drama threads or whatnot because, i've discovered that for some reason in those channels that pump out like 3 stuffty videos a day it only takes s single video for youtube to think you like it

I've only watched "The leafy rant" and even then my browser history and cookies have been cleared (hehe xd) since then.

[DarkPirate]

that algorithm is broken, just like their moderation system

[LeetZero]

As far as I'm aware the filter could very likely just be based on the category. In which case all of those fit under 'Entertainment', even if that's bullstuff in the case of what those channels actually supply, that's still the category.

[McJob]

YouTube's goal is to sell ad space. Promoting videos that don't pull ad revenue is bad business for them.

Sad to say, but YouTube's related-videos algorithm focuses on showing you videos that have a high "quality" (total amount of viewers and like/dislike ratio are both compared to determine the "quality" of the video).

Aside from that, they also use some metadata from the video to compare against other videos you watch (make sure a person interested in Gaming videos sees more Gaming videos), and they'll try to look for popular videos that match keywords in the title, tags or description (for example, watching one "Gordon Ramsay" video will add a million to your "Recommended" list). If you've been watching a series of videos, they'll try and recommend the next video in the series.

It's hard to say the exact weighing of each factor, but those are the important pieces. The best thing you can do is press the three dots under a video and tap "Not Interested" if it's available.