YouTube has officially announced the launch of YouTube shorts on TV through a blog post on the official YouTube blog. YouTube shorts have been pitted as the short video competitor from YouTube to bring the fight against TikTok and Reels. With the introduction of Shorts on TV, YouTube now has a significant advantage over its competitor Instagram Reels.
Today we’re bringing Shorts to our fastest growing surface: the TV screen. An incredible amount of thought has gone into bringing this mobile-first experience to the big screen. More on the @YouTube blog: https://t.co/8smsKaSXvc pic.twitter.com/U6vMHbm1sm
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) November 7, 2022
YouTube Shorts on TV will have a new UI specific to its vertical video orientation. It is a big change from the usual video player that YouTube uses. YouTube has mentioned that the ‘joy of Shorts gets lost’ in the conventional video player of YouTube TV.
The TV experience for Shorts brings in a new UI for the video player, which adds a white border around the short video. It also features a blank screen with ambient lights on the background on the remaining unused space in the display. It also shows the title, creator and the sound used in the video.
YouTube noted that it had also tested a version with a ‘Jukebox’ style UI, which cascaded the previous video and the following video alongside the one being played on the screen. YouTube mentioned that it stayed too far from the essence of Shorts, featuring one vertical video at a time.
This new UI for Shorts on TV comes with design elements in line with the new YouTube redesign, which was launched two weeks earlier.
Which TVs Support YouTube Shorts?
Shorts on YouTube TV will roll out soon for TVs released after 2019, YouTube has mentioned officially. It will also be available on gaming consoles. It is unclear if it will be supported on FireTV, Firestick, and other streaming devices such as JioTV and AirTel Xstream. YouTube has not yet revealed the complete device list for availability. But we assume that the feature will be available on most TVs, be it Android TVs, FireTVs, Samsung TVs, LG TVs or streaming sticks, as the company has mentioned TVs generally, and not any specific platforms.
Also Read: YouTube Shorts Download: How to Download YouTube Shorts Videos Online and Save in Phone Gallery
Where to Find YouTube Shorts on your TV?
YouTube Shorts is featured on the homepage itself of the YouTube TV app. You have to scroll down on the homepage of the YouTube TV app to find the ‘Shorts shelf’.
Shorts will also be featured on YouTube channel pages, aka creator pages. Shorts shelf will also be present on creator pages.
Also Read: YouTube: How to View YouTube Desktop Site on Android and iOS?
How to watch YouTube Shorts on TV?
- Open the YouTube app on your TV.
- Navigate down the home page to the Shorts shelf section.
- Select any one of the short videos listed here to start watching YouTube Shorts on your TV.
- You can also find Shorts from a YouTube channel/creator page.
- A Shorts shelf similar to the one shown on the home page will be present on the YouTube channel if the channel has any Shorts videos uploaded.
- Selecting a Shorts video from the shelf will start the short video on your TV.
- It will continue playing on a loop until you select the next video to play.
- You can click the ‘Right’ button on your remote to view more information about the short video. It will show the title of the video, the creator and the sound used for the video.
- To navigate to the next video, you can click the ‘Down’ button on the remote.
FAQ
1. Does YouTube shorts on TV auto-play the next video?
No. Like the mobile version of YouTube, Shorts videos will not go on auto-play to the following video. You must press the down button on your remote to navigate to the following video.
2. Which platforms will get YouTube Shorts on TV?
YouTube has mentioned that all TVs after 2019 will get the feature in the coming weeks. It has not explicitly mentioned any platforms; all the platforms, not just Google TV or Android TV, will support the new feature.
3. Do I need to update the YouTube app to get this feature?
YouTube features are generally added to the TV app without requiring an app update. However, if the app needs to be updated, keep it updated to the latest version.
Do you think YouTube Shorts on TVs is an interesting prospect, comment on it below.
