Good news for people who use their flat-screens for… not watching TV.
YouTube just announced it’s bringing Shorts to TV screens, allowing users to watch and navigate popular short-form video content with their remotes.
Short and narrow: The vertical format of Shorts doesn’t fit wide screens, of course, so videos will appear centered with a white border and a background that aligns with the video’s main color.
Also, these videos won’t autoplay. Instead, users will swipe through Shorts using the “up” and “down” buttons on their remotes.
When it’s available: YouTube says Shorts will appear on screen “over the coming weeks” for TV models 2019 and later, as well as for newer game consoles.
Why we care: In July of this year, YouTube TV hit a 5M subscriber milestone. And last year, it was reported that over 120M people were streaming YouTube on their TVs.
This update means more eyeballs for Shorts. And for marketers, it means more content marketing, more influencer marketing, and more paid ads opportunities with a popular format.
Not bad for a Tuesday.