As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, YouTube is preparing a major revamp of its connected TV app to further solidify its lead in the streaming space, overtaking competitors like Netflix, Max, and Disney+. Announced at the Made on YouTube event in New York, the new features will roll out this year, with a key update enabling creators to organize their videos into seasons and episodes by 2025.
This move comes after YouTube surpassed Disney as the most-watched media company in July, further underscoring its dominance in the streaming market. According to Nielsen, YouTube accounted for 10.6% of total TV viewing time in August, surpassing Netflix’s 7.9%.
These updates arrive as YouTube continues to boast remarkable reach—since March, the platform has had 2.49 billion monthly active users, nearly half of the world’s 5.45 billion internet users. This vast global audience, paired with YouTube’s growing presence on connected TVs, underscores its position as a critical player in the streaming and content space.
The upcoming features will allow creators to offer binge-worthy, episodic content structured like major TV shows. Christian Oestlien, VP of Product Management at YouTube, emphasized that these changes reflect creator demand and audience expectations, positioning YouTube as a premium viewing experience in line with traditional streaming platforms.
In addition, YouTube will introduce immersive previews—cinematic trailers that automatically play when users visit a creator’s channel. Creators like Michelle Khare are thrilled with these changes, noting that they elevate their content to compete visually with offerings from Netflix and Disney+.
This isn’t the first significant update to YouTube’s TV platform this year. In March, YouTube launched an updated YouTube TV app, introducing a minimized playback window that allows users to engage with features like comments and product links without pausing the video. This redesign also improved navigation for live sports scores and video descriptions, making the platform more interactive and user-friendly.
With connected TV viewing becoming increasingly important for YouTube, the platform now sees more than a billion hours of content watched on TVs every day. YouTube has reported a 30% year-over-year increase in creators earning the majority of their revenue from TV screens, further emphasizing the platform’s importance in the living room.
To boost engagement further, YouTube is introducing a prominent subscribe button within the TV app and adding QR code functionality for links in video descriptions. These updates are designed to help creators grow their audiences and businesses as YouTube continues to expand its dominance in the streaming world.
With its new content organization tools, immersive viewing experiences, and enhanced business features, YouTube is positioning itself as a serious contender in the increasingly competitive streaming landscape. It offers both creators and viewers a more seamless, premium experience.
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