YouTube is doubling down on connected TV (CTV). The platform has just announced several new features for its TV app, continuing to build on one of its fastest-growing formats. Here’s a breakdown of everything that’s new.
Takeaways 🚀
✅YouTube improves connected TV experience
✅Playlists become episodic creator shows
✅New tabs organize shows, podcasts
✅Navigation updates simplify TV browsing
✅Privacy features add viewer control
Creators Can Now Turn Playlists Into Shows
First and foremost, YouTube now lets creators transform their playlists into full shows. This means CTV viewers can watch a creator’s videos back to back, just like streaming episodes of a TV series.
This feature is available to creators in the YouTube Partner Program. Specifically, playlists made up of high-quality videos that share consistent themes and storylines can now be labeled as shows directly in YouTube Studio. Once set up, these shows appear as polished, featured series — complete with dedicated show pages and organized seasons.
As a result, creator content feels much more structured and familiar to viewers. It also makes it easier for audiences to follow a series from one episode to the next.
New Shows and Podcasts Tabs
In addition to the playlist feature, YouTube added dedicated Shows and Podcasts tabs to the Watch page. This makes it simpler for viewers to browse and organize creator content in one place.
Podcasts, in particular, have emerged as a major success story for YouTube’s CTV push. In fact, users streamed over 700 million hours of podcasts on their TVs in October alone. That number highlights just how much appetite there is for long-form audio content on the big screen.
Easier Navigation on TV
Beyond the new tabs, YouTube also improved how users move around the TV app. For instance, there’s now a dedicated access point for Shorts. On top of that, the Previous and Next buttons are bigger, making it easier to jump between videos.
Together, these changes make the app more intuitive to use. As a result, viewers spend less time searching and more time actually watching.
A New Music Shelf for Artists
YouTube also added a new releases shelf to musician pages on the TV app. This way, CTV viewers can quickly discover the latest music from their favorite artists. It’s a small but handy addition for music lovers watching from the couch.
Better Privacy and Parental Controls
On the security side, YouTube introduced a new account locking feature. Users can now set a 4-digit code to lock their account on TV, keeping their watch history and recommendations private.
Similarly, parents and caregivers can set a separate 4-digit parental code for the YouTube TV app. This provides an extra layer of protection — for example, it prevents kids from accessing content while the account is signed out.
Furthermore, YouTube improved its QR code sign-in process and redesigned the viewing experience for kids’ content on TV screens.
A Format That Keeps Growing
Connected TV has become one of YouTube’s most important growth drivers. Today, people watch more than one billion hours of YouTube content on their home TVs every day.
All in all, these updates point to a clear strategy. YouTube wants to make the TV viewing experience as smooth and engaging as possible. With these new features, the platform is firmly planting its flag as a major player on the biggest screen in the house.
