Connected television (CTV) has transformed how audiences consume content on YouTube, rapidly becoming a massive driver of the platform’s overall viewership and strategic focus.
Televisions have officially surpassed mobile phones as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the United States, when measured by total watch time. The scale of this transition is staggering: globally, audiences are now consuming more than 1 bil hours of YouTube content on their televisions every single day – with YouTube arguably rivalling traditional TV.
Now YouTube is announcing a slate of new features for CTV viewers, including expansion of conversational, AI-powered search tools to smart TVs. CTV viewers will now be able to use their remote microphone to ask questions about the video they’re watching.
CTV viewers can also now access a chapter segment panel within video descriptions, like counts on TV as well as a feature dedicated to Official Artist Channels. Official Artist Channels will now feature immersive full-screen previews when hovering over the Shuffle and Radio playback buttons.
Other than CTV, YouTube is also rolling out a new version of their top channels shelf to highlight more content relevant to the viewer’s interest, and adding “Up Next” teasers at the end of videos.
C what you can do with TV
Implement conversational search tactics. In addition to listing credits, write descriptions that describe the mood, setting and vibe of the video. Use full sentences that are simple for AI to read.
Optimise Featured Video. The new Immersive Artist Headers trigger a full-screen preview when a viewer hovers over Shuffle or Radio buttons. This often pulls from your channel header or the Featured Video for this preview. Ensure a captivating trailer or highlight music video is set as the Featured Video for non-subscribers.
