YouTube wants Shorts to dominate TikTok…on your TV screen.
In a blog post, the company announced that YouTube Shorts, its TikTok competitor, is getting completely overhauled for a native experience on its television app. The company says that, while the feature was initially designed for mobile, it wants to offer just as good an experience on the TV as well.
Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, said that the television is actually the fasting growing device for people watching Shorts:
Bringing Shorts to our community has transformed the way people create and watch video on YouTube. When we introduced this new format, we optimized the experience for the mobile creator and viewer. Today, we’re expanding viewing access to Shorts to our fastest growing surface: the TV screen. While this may seem like a natural next step, an incredible amount of thought and care has gone into bringing this vertical, mobile-first experience to the big screen.
The company took to YouTube, of course, to share a first look at what the new YouTube Shorts experience will look like on the YouTube app for TVs:
As you can see above, the Shorts experience on the TV is quite minimal. YouTube says that, while the experience is a version of the “Maximal” experience they tested during prototyping, they “will be looking to bring in additional functionality in future releases.”
YouTube says that the native Shorts experience is rolling out to YouTube’s television app starting today so, if you don’t see it yet, close out the app and relaunch it or see if there is an update for the app on your television or streaming device’s app store.
The company did say that “over the coming weeks, this experience will be rolling out on TV models (2019 and later) and on newer game consoles,” so you may just have a few weeks to wait until it is available on your device.
YouTube has been on a roll lately. From launching PrimeTime Channels to redesigning the main app, the company has made a ton of updates to continue its competition against other streaming and social media services.
