Why restrict YouTube Shorts to smartphones? YouTube has announced that it’s expanding the reach of Shorts to TV with an updated app that will allow users to watch the popular vertical videos in an optimised experience. It’s obviously a challenge because YouTube Shorts are largely meant to be watched on smartphone screens.
It also proves that TikTok-style offerings are the future of video. Now that you can watch Shorts sitting on the couch, you will get more snackable content.
“Feedback showed that the joy of Shorts gets lost in the consistent video player and the Jukebox style strayed too far from the essence of Shorts, which features one video at a time. The customised Shorts experience delivers the best of both worlds: a clean design while making the most of the wide screen’s additional space,” said Brynn Evans and Melanie Fitzgerald, UX directors, YouTube, on the official blog.
The new Shorts-watching feature will require a smart TV from 2019 or later, a newer gaming console or a streaming device, YouTube says.
When watching Shorts, the viewer can also use the remote to start or stop the video from playing by clicking directly on the Short or by using the Play and Pause buttons on the remote control itself. A Short will continue to roll until you move to the next one using the remote. You can use the up and down buttons on the remote to move to the next video or return to a prior Short, YouTube says.
At the moment, YouTube Shorts are watched by over 1.5 billion logged-in users every month. Now that we can watch on the big screen, the figure will increase.
The move will also allow YouTube to compete with TikTok, which had also rolled out its own TV app to various platforms last year (TikTok is not available in India). YouTube has an advantage — the app comes mostly pre-installed on many smart TV platforms while the rollout is global.