YouTube Shorts Launching On Smart TVs, Game Consoles, And Streaming Devices

YouTube is readying its "Shorts" platform for multiple devices and screens. YouTube Shorts is heading to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. Google has made it clear that it wants to beat the competition, including TikTok, Meta, and other others. The company seems to be leveraging its reach and software platforms to push and promote YouTube Shorts. Let's see how YouTube could position its short-format video-sharing platform on devices other than smartphones.

View YouTube Shorts On Multiple Screens

Short-format videos have become insanely popular. Although pioneered by Twitter's Vine platform, TikTok proved short videos work very well to attract and retain users for longer periods of time. Realizing the same, nearly every social media platform adopted and promoted the format.

Owing to the format's popularity, YouTube Shorts is no longer the younger sibling of the main YouTube platform. The company recently let YouTube Shorts and Live Videos free from the main YouTube page.

Incidentally, the YouTube app is already available for every imaginable modern device with a display. YouTube seems to have the same intention for its Shorts platform. Hence, YouTube Shorts will soon be rolled out to smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices. Simply put, a modern smart device with an operating system and a display, which launched after 2019, could get easy access to YouTube Shorts.

Will There Be A Separate YouTube Shorts App?

YouTube is not launching a separate app for YouTube Shorts. Instead, the platform is getting a redesigned, dedicated page on the homepage of the YouTube app. The majority of the aforementioned devices have a dedicated YouTube app. It seems YouTube Shorts will be prominently placed to boost the discovery and consumption of content.

Users interested in viewing YouTube Shorts videos on their smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices can also visit their favorite creator's channel page to view the content. The redesigned app mimics the behavior of the smartphone app for YouTube. This means users will be able to like or dislike the videos, read titles and descriptions, and also subscribe to channels.

Videos uploaded on the YouTube Shorts platform are mostly shot in portrait format. Hence, these videos will leave a lot of empty space on large displays. Developers at YouTube have currently settled on a format that shows the vertical videos in the center, and display the title on the lower-right side. The rest of the information and controls sit beneath the title. It is not clear how well such a format will be accepted, but YouTube seems determined to push Shorts beyond smartphone screens.