Sponsor Research

---
name: sponsor-research
description: "Sponsor and ad-read research on podcasts and YouTube: who sponsors a show, or which shows a brand sponsors, how often, since when. Uses arcmira."
---

# Sponsor research

Two directions. A show to its sponsors: `arcmira.sponsors(channelId)` ranks recurring sponsors by ad reads with first and last seen dates. A brand to the shows it sponsors: `arcmira.recommendations(entityId, { kind: "sponsored" })` lists each ad read, which the program groups by show.

Use it through the arcmira MCP server (`arcmira_describe`, then `arcmira_execute_read` with a program) or the arcmira CLI, whose commands have the same names. `arcmira_describe` carries the full method reference (CLI: `arcmira <command> --help`), and the `arcmira` skill the shared procedure.

## When to use

- who sponsors a show, how many ad reads, since when, still active
- which shows a brand sponsors or advertises on, and how often
- sponsors two shows share (sponsors of each, then intersect by entity.id)

## Pick the entity the user meant

Users give names; filters take ids only (ent_..., UC..., 11-character video ids), and a name where an id belongs throws `id_required`.

1. Resolve the exact name the user said, and pass their own words about it as `context` when they gave any ("Sam, the My First Million co-host" is `resolve("Sam", { context: "the My First Million co-host" })`). Context is only words from the user's message, never your guess: a bare "Theo" is `resolve("Theo")`, and its ask goes back to the user.
2. `best`: the name means that row. Use it and name it.
3. `suggested`: no row is certain but one stands out. Use it and tell the user you assumed it, quoting `suggested.evidence` ("Sam Altman, assuming the most mentioned Sam: 4,399 appearances, 11x the next").
4. `ask`: several rows fit and none stands out. Return `ask.options` for the user to pick and stop, or check every option id against the data in one program (occurrences or momentum with all the ids) and answer per row, naming each.
5. None of the three: the name is not in the Arcmira index. Say so and ask for another spelling or a link; never answer for a different entity without saying so.
6. Say which entity the answer is about (name, type, id) in the answer. Never switch entities silently.
7. Before asserting a mention, read its description or passage and say which sense of the name it is (Mercury the bank, not the element). Drop rows about another sense.

For this task:

- A show resolves with `{ type: "channel" }`; its id is `youtube_channel_id` (a UC id).
- A brand resolves with no type (a company can be typed product). A sponsor is a company: a person or a topic with the same name ("Freddie Mercury") is not the brand.
- When two company rows compete, the one with ad reads is the sponsor: run the brand program for each and keep the one with reads.

## Worked program

Pass each block to `arcmira_execute_read` as one program (a block marked arcmira_execute_write goes to that tool), with the name swapped for the user's. It opens with the pick: set `CONTEXT` to the user's own words about the name. When several entities fit it returns `ask` and runs nothing else. Show those options to the user, then run it again with `ID` set to the pick. When the result carries `assumed: true`, tell the user which entity was assumed and why (`why`). Build date windows from `arcmira.daysAgo(n)` and `arcmira.today()`.

### A show's sponsors

```javascript
const NAME = "TBPN", CONTEXT = undefined, ID = null;   // CONTEXT: the user's own words about the name, never a guess. After an ask, set ID to the picked option's channel_id and run again
const r = ID ? null : await arcmira.resolve(NAME, { type: "channel", context: CONTEXT });
const e = r && (r.best ?? r.suggested);
if (r && !e) return { ask: r.ask && { question: r.ask.question, options: r.ask.options.map(o => ({ ...o, channel_id: r.candidates.find(c => c.id === o.id)?.youtube_channel_id ?? null })) } };
const id = ID ?? e.youtube_channel_id;
const assumed = Boolean(r?.suggested), why = r?.suggested?.evidence ?? null;
const s = await arcmira.sponsors(id);   // limit is a Pro+ filter; slice instead
return {
  show: s.channel.name, channel_id: id, page: s.channel.page, assumed, why, sponsors_total: s.meta.total,
  sponsors: s.sponsors.slice(0, 10).map(x => ({ name: x.entity.name, id: x.entity.id, page: x.entity.page, ad_reads: x.ad_reads, episodes: x.videos, first_seen: x.first_seen, last_seen: x.last_seen, status: x.sponsor_status?.status ?? null })),
};
```

### The shows a brand sponsors, last 90 days

```javascript
const NAME = "Mercury", CONTEXT = undefined, ID = null;   // CONTEXT: the user's own words about the name, never a guess. After an ask, set ID to the picked option's id and run again
const r = ID ? null : await arcmira.resolve(NAME, { context: CONTEXT });
const e = r && (r.best ?? r.suggested);
if (r && !e) return { ask: r.ask };
const id = ID ?? e.id;
const assumed = Boolean(r?.suggested), why = r?.suggested?.evidence ?? null;
const after = arcmira.daysAgo(90);
const reads = [];
let cursor, entity, window;
do {
  const page = await arcmira.recommendations(id, { kind: "sponsored", after, limit: 50, cursor });
  entity = page.entity;
  window = page.window;
  reads.push(...page.recommendations);
  cursor = page.has_more ? page.next_cursor : undefined;
} while (cursor && reads.length < 500);
const shows = new Map();
for (const x of reads) {
  const name = x.media.source_channel?.name ?? x.media.channel_id;
  const row = shows.get(name) ?? { show: name, channel_id: x.media.channel_id, ad_reads: 0, episodes: new Set(), latest: "" };
  row.ad_reads += 1;
  row.episodes.add(x.media.video_id);
  if (x.media.published_at > row.latest) row.latest = x.media.published_at;
  shows.set(name, row);
}
return {
  brand: { id, name: entity?.name ?? e?.name ?? null, type: entity?.type ?? e?.type ?? null, assumed, why }, window, ad_reads_total: reads.length,
  shows: [...shows.values()].sort((a, b) => b.ad_reads - a.ad_reads).slice(0, 10).map(s => ({ ...s, episodes: s.episodes.size })),
  sample_read: reads[0] ? { said: reads[0].verbatim_quote, show: reads[0].media.source_channel?.name ?? null, date: reads[0].media.published_at, promo_code: reads[0].promo_code } : null,
};
```

## A good answer

- Names the brand or show it used, with its type and id, and any look-alike it set aside.
- Ranks sponsors (or shows) by ad reads and gives the counts, first and last seen dates, and active or lapsed.
- States the window and the as-of date, and that counts cover the shows Arcmira indexes.
- Quotes one ad read verbatim with its promo code when there is one, and links each name to the `page` the result carries.

## Traps

- `recommendations` can return `recommendations_not_enabled`. Explain the account-access limit and required tier reported by the API; a channel sponsor list does not answer which shows recommend a brand.
- An ad read is sponsored; an unpaid on-air endorsement is `kind: "organic"`. Do not mix them in one count.
- Page with `cursor` until `has_more` is false before you count reads; one page is at most 50 rows.

When a plan or usage limit blocks a capability, briefly name the limit and any required tier reported by the API. Link to https://arcmira.com/pricing as "Plan access details" for information; do not upgrade a plan. Requested Premium work uses credits from the account's plan, then its on-demand budget, without another confirmation. Preserve error codes and reported quota or reset facts. If the user requested Premium, keep quality: "premium". Do not retry with captions, suggest third-party transcripts, or present them as equivalent. Only change the requested quality if the user asks.

Search as_of is the newest publication date among the returned passages, not the date the whole index was updated. For channel freshness, call arcmira.status({ channelId }) and report channel.search_indexed_through for transcript search. A result date or an empty query does not establish missing recent episodes.

Keep outside evidence separate from Arcmira results. Docs: https://arcmira.com/docs/mcp-server

## After the answer

When the answer named companies, people, shows or topics worth following, offer once to save them to a monitor so updates arrive on their own. On a yes, follow the `company-watch` skill: it lists the user's monitors first and asks how they want updates.

If anything was wrong, slow, or missing for the user, send one arcmira_feedback.