According to the latest statements from the head of YouTube, users now prefer the comfort of their television screen to the convenience of their smartphone for watching the video streaming platform's online content.
While the smartphone is increasingly becoming an alternative to the television set, the small screen is regaining momentum thanks to YouTube and its more interactive features.
"Viewers are watching, on average, over 1B hours of YouTube content on TVs daily, and TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the US," said YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan, in a blog post marking the platform's 20th anniversary.
Forget traditional linear TV. Between filmed podcasts and Shorts, both of which are widely appreciated by younger generations, in addition to more traditional online videos, it is the diversity of content that seems to appeal to the American audience.
Interactivity also appears to be one of the essential assets contributing to YouTube's success on televisions: "As more creators produce content for the big screen, we're bringing the best of YouTube to TVs, including a second screen experience that lets you use your phone to interact with the video you're watching on TV – for example, to leave a comment or make a purchase," the platform's CEO explains.
Like streaming platforms such as Prime Video and Disney+, YouTube is in turn offering the "Watch With” option, which allows creators to react to and comment on an event live with their subscribers. This feature has only been rolled out to a handful of creators for the time being.
According to the YouTube CEO, advances in artificial intelligence are already boosting audiences, particularly thanks to subtitles: "For videos with dubbed audio, more than 40% of the total watch time comes from viewers choosing to listen in a dubbed language. Last year we launched auto dubbing, which helps creators translate their videos into multiple languages with a touch of a button. We’ll soon make auto dubbing available for all creators in the YouTube Partner Program. We’ll continue to make improvements here and expand to more languages throughout the year."
This trend can also be seen on Netflix, where content in languages other than English is increasingly appealing to viewers.
In the United States, streaming viewership on TV sets is reaching new highs, according to Nielsen, with YouTube leading the way. Meanwhile, YouTube TV, Google's internet television service, has attracted eight million subscribers. – AFP Relaxnews
