Tech

Korean Ecommerce Platform Cafe24 Becomes First Asian Company to Integrate YouTube Creator Partnerships API

Published on August 10, 2026

South Korean ecommerce platform Cafe24 has become the first company in Asia to integrate YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API, according to Seoul Economic Daily, adding itself to a list of invite-only partners that includes CreatorIQ, TRIBE and Fabulate.

As reported by Seoul Economic Daily, the integration lets customers access the API directly within Cafe24’s creator marketing service. YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API, part of a suite rebranded from BrandConnect and unveiled more broadly at the 2026 YouTube NewFronts, gives approved platforms tools for creator discovery, brand-creator collaboration management, and campaign performance analysis. Access remains invite-only, with YouTube establishing integrations through direct business relationships rather than a self-serve developer path.

Using data YouTube provides, Cafe24 said it analyzes channel performance, content characteristics, and viewer interests to refine creator recommendations against marketing goals, helping brands identify suitable creators faster and helping creators surface relevant brand opportunities. The company plans to add further YouTube metrics over time, including performance benchmarks relative to similar creators, reach figures that account for co-viewing, and data on brand mentions within content.

“We will use the Creator Partnerships API as a core data hub to combine YouTube’s official data with Cafe24’s commerce and marketing capabilities, building an environment where brands and creators can achieve results faster,” said Lee Jae-seok, CEO of Cafe24.

Cafe24 joins a small group of platforms YouTube has cleared to build directly on the API since opening it up around the NewFronts announcement. CreatorIQ rolled out its integration in phases, starting with first-party viewer insights in November and adding a paid-partnership disclosure workflow, along with creator-granted permissions for paid media boosting, in January. Fabulate co-founder and Chief Product and Strategy Officer Nathan Powell said the API addresses a gap brands have long managed around manually. “For years, YouTube creator campaigns have carried serious budget without the infrastructure to match,” Powell said. “Native API integration removes that inefficiency and gives YouTube the operational backbone it deserves.”