YouTube takes a 180-degree turn. Mobile is no longer the primary device for watching YouTube
YouTube CEO Neil Mohan has confirmed that for the first time, TV has become the primary device for watching YouTube in the United States, overtaking smartphones and personal computers. This is a fact that has several explanations.
According to a YouTube statement, users currently watch 1 billion hours of content per day on their TVs. Horizontal videos on the platform adapt better to TV than vertical videos on TikTok.
According to Nielsen, YouTube has become the most used streaming platform on TV, in terms of hours watched, for the second year in a row, surpassing Netflix, Disney+ and others.
- YouTube Queen of TV
YouTube has broken away from the video platform category. “For a growing number of people, watching TV means watching YouTube,” CEO Neil Mohan said in a press release.
YouTube is changing to accommodate this TV content. The TV app has adopted a format that mimics Netflix. Creators can turn their channel into episodes organized by seasons.
It is also possible to create a summary for each video, with presentation images that will be displayed full screen on the TV. The new design is intended to enable navigation of YouTube using the TV remote control, not the mobile phone.
Information about the language and subtitles available has also been added, like the traditional TV series.
YouTube is also testing new formats, such as using a mobile phone as a second screen to follow YouTube users' comments on live content, such as a soccer match.
But this shift also has its bright and dark sides. On the one hand, ads have become increasingly intrusive, abundant, and confusing for free users. With a paid, ad-free alternative that forces you to subscribe to services even if you don’t need them, like YouTube Music.