Quick Answer: No, you can’t publish the same video on 2 different YouTube channels (except under certain circumstances). It’s seen as duplicate content & frowned upon by YouTube.
Lately, I’ve been working hard on becoming more consistent with publishing videos on the Commission Academy YouTube channel.
However, that’s not the only YouTube channel I have.
I actually have multiple channels in the affiliate marketing niche, and I also have several other channels in entirely different niches altogether.
As a result, a couple of days ago I found myself wondering if I could be more efficient with my time by simply publishing the same video across multiple channels.
On the surface, it seems like a great idea, right?
Create 1 video & then publish it on 2 different channels. Or heck, why stop there? I could publish it to 10+ different channels at once. Imagine that! 😮
But as you can imagine, it’s not quite as straightforward as it sounds & publishing the same video on 2 different YouTube channels could cause big problems.
I’ll explain why below.
So if you’ve been wondering if you can post the same video on 2 different YouTube channels & how YouTube detects reused content, keep reading this post for everything you need to know.
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Can You Reupload a YouTube Video On Another Channel?
In short, the answer to this question is no – you can’t reupload a YouTube video on another channel. If you do, YouTube will detect the reused content & remove it.
I mean, technically speaking, if you were to alter the duration of the video & mirror it or zoom into the video a little bit, you could bypass the detection system.
However, that’s not what we’re about here at Commission Academy.
We’re not about ways to “game systems” because those types of tricks & gimmicks, at most, only ever provide very short team benefits.
Sooner or later, they will get flagged & you’ll be back to square one.
If you want to build a truly successful online business you must put the idea of using “tricks” to one side & instead, focus on delivering massive value over the long term.
Yes, it will take additional work to create another video & that can be frustrating especially if it’s on the same topic & you’ve just created one.
But there’s a reason you have more than 1 channel. It’s because you’re trying to get more views.
And if you want to get more views & more traffic, then you’re going to have to do more work.
So, when I found myself asking the question “can I post the same video on 2 different YouTube channels?“, I quickly realized that I was falling into a laziness trap.
And here’s the deal;
I respect my YouTube audience. They subscribed to my channel, and I want to show gratitude by giving them the fresh content that they subscribed for. I don’t want to give them lazy, re-hashed content just because I want an “easy” way to try & get more views.
Success online is all about respecting your audience & if you stop respecting them, you’ll lose them.
It’s when you truly put your audience first that you’ll see the best results.
I used to preach that all of the time when it came to publishing written content, so why did I all of a sudden think video content would be any different?
It’s not – and I’m just glad I quickly snapped out of it.
Same Video On YouTube & YouTube Shorts: Is It Allowed?
If you are looking for ways to repurpose your YouTube content then one of the best ways you’re allowed to do it is by using the same video on YouTube & YouTube shorts.
For example, if you’ve created a 30-minute video on YouTube, you could take snippets from that video & create a bunch of shorts from the snippets.
Just remember, though, that because the content wasn’t exactly “intended” for shorts, it might not be as engaging as it would be if you were to specifically create the short.
So even though it’s easy to leverage these snippets & create shorts from them, you may not necessarily get as good engagement from them.
Still; depending on your content, this can prove to be a real timesaver.
The best part is that using the same video on YouTube & YouTube shorts is allowed, provided the shorts version is just a snippet of the original.
How Does YouTube Detect Reused Content?
YouTube has a very complex algorithm that detects duplicate content but the most common things that it looks for are:
- The video duration
- A large number of duplicate frames
Essentially, Google takes a bunch of still images from the entirety of the video & cross-references them to see if a large number of them are identical.
That’s why many people are able to fool the system simply by shortening the video & adding an effect that constantly pans in and out.
However, even if you manage to pull this off, it’s only a very short-term solution.
As you publish more & more videos, YouTube will have more data and having the videos removed, or your account being banned, will become more likely.
What If Someone Copied My Video?
If you’re worried about your own channel because somebody has copied your video and published it on their channel, rest assured that you have nothing to worry about.
YouTube is able to detect which video is the original meaning it will be the person that copied the video that suffers the repercussions.
If you’d like to speed up the process, you can actually report the video & state that it was stolen.
Here’s how you can do that:
You just need to hit “Report” alongside the video, then “Legal issue” & mention that it was copied.
Can I Delete My Video From My First Channel & Reupload To My Second Channel?
Yes, it’s fine to delete a video from your first channel & reupload it to your second channel. YouTube understands that mistakes happen & does not penalize this behaviour.
Of course, though, if you are doing this in a “malicious” way, then it’ll be a different story.
For example, if you’re attempting to game the system by constantly uploading to one channel, deleting the video & uploading it to another for “freshness”, then you’ll get yourself into trouble.
That’s not allowed.
But if simply uploaded it to a channel by mistake or just later decided that the content would be better published on a different channel, then that’s totally fine.
The Bottom Line
So, as you can see, publishing the same video on multiple channels is a no-go.
Just as you have duplicate content in the world of SEO, the world of YouTube is no different & you will be penalized for duplicate videos.
The best thing you can do is focus on building a long-term business & put the idea of using any “tricks” or “loopholes” to one side.
By respecting your audience & publishing regular, quality videos to each of your individual channels there is no doubt that you’ll thrive on YouTube.
And if you happen to have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to leave them below.
Does YouTube penalize you for using some of the same clips in different videos? I often use my own library footage in combination with new footage to create new videos with different topics and context, but am worried that if YouTube just uses an automated footage scan they won’t realize it is being used in an entirely different context…unless they go off a percentage basis?
thanks
Re-using clips in your videos is absolutely fine. As you suggested, it is indeed a percentage basis. Use of stock footage is very common so there are allowances for this & they’re great enough that you would never “accidentally” fall into the realms of duplicate content if you were producing content without attempting to cheat the system.