Some visual updates include 4K thumbnails, AI video upscaling, and immersive channel previews.
You can opt out of Super Resolution, the AI upscaling feature.
Viewers will get scannable QR codes to buy products directly from TV content.
YouTube has announced a major update for YouTube TV focused on improving how content looks and performs on television screens. The company is rolling out five new tools designed to deliver a more premium viewing experience and simplify content discovery and shopping from the living room. The update comes as YouTube reports a 45% year-on-year increase in the number of channels earning six figures or more from TV viewership. With more audiences shifting to large screens, YouTube says it wants to help creators make their content stand out and monetise better.
SurveyNew YouTube TV features
Better thumbnails: To improve first impressions on TV, YouTube will raise the thumbnail file limit from 2MB to 50MB, enabling creators to upload sharper, 4K-resolution thumbnails. The company is also testing support for larger video uploads to deliver higher-quality originals.
AI upscaling: A new AI-powered super-resolution feature will automatically enhance lower-resolution videos. The rollout starts with videos below 1080p, upscaling them from SD to HD, with future support planned for resolutions up to 4K. Creators can choose to opt out of these enhancements, and both the original video files and resolutions will be preserved. Viewers will also have the option to watch videos in their original quality, with AI-enhanced versions clearly labelled.
So, both creators and viewers will have the option to opt out.
Content discovery: YouTube is also updating how viewers explore content on TV. For starters, previews will start to automatically play. ‘Viewers will be able to see and flip through their favourite YouTube channels with immersive previews on the homepage, enhancing content discovery and engagement,’ says Kurt Wilms, senior director, product management, YouTube TV. Additionally, creators will be able to club together their videos into ‘Collections’ under a redesigned ‘Shows’ layout. This should aid their subscribers to binge on their content.
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The search experience is also being improved on TVs. When users search from a creator’s channel page, results from that channel will now appear first, making it easier to find content from a specific creator.
Shopping directly from the big screen: YouTube says viewers watched over 35 billion hours of shopping-related videos in the past year, much of it on TV. To streamline in-video shopping, the platform is introducing QR codes for tagged products, which viewers can scan with their phones to directly jump to product pages on their phones.
The company is also testing product highlights that appear at specific moments within videos, aiming to make it easier for viewers to shop at the most relevant time. This move could help creators drive conversions and strengthen brand collaborations.
With all these new features, YouTube aims to give creators the flexibility to ‘film and upload once’ while ensuring their ‘content looks great on any screen’.
Keep reading Digit.in for similar TV-related stories.
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G. S. Vasan
G.S. Vasan is the chief copy editor at Digit, where he leads coverage of TVs and audio. His work spans reviews, news, features, and maintaining key content pages. Before joining Digit, he worked with publications like Smartprix and 91mobiles, bringing over six years of experience in tech journalism. His articles reflect both his expertise and passion for technology. View Full Profile
