This edition of *Lowpass*, authored by Janko Roettgers, arrives as a carefully curated newsletter dedicated to exploring the dynamic and ever-shifting convergence between technology and the entertainment industry. Published exclusively for *The Verge* subscribers on a weekly basis, the column delves into how digital innovation continues to reshape the way audiences experience and engage with media, whether through streaming platforms, connected devices, or emerging forms of online storytelling.
According to Roettgers, the YouTube application on smart televisions is about to receive one of its most significant overhauls in years—a transformation so pronounced that, at a passing glance, users might momentarily mistake it for the interface of a subscription-based streaming platform such as Netflix or Disney Plus. This forthcoming redesign aims to reimagine the user experience fundamentally. Instead of being immediately confronted with an overwhelming grid of small thumbnails crowding the screen, viewers will soon encounter immersive, full-width banner visuals that highlight the newest episodes or premieres from their favorite channels. These banners will guide viewers through a more cinematic navigation experience, inviting them to explore rather than scroll aimlessly. Importantly, YouTube is also increasing the file size and resolution limits for thumbnails for the first time in more than ten years, ensuring these promotional images appear noticeably sharper and more vibrant on modern 4K television displays.
Yet the visual polish represents only the surface of a much deeper change. A growing array of YouTube channels is preparing to adopt a show-style organizational structure, with videos arranged in seasons and episodes—mirroring the familiar layout of established television streaming services. This allows for continuous, serialized viewing experiences in which audiences can effortlessly progress from one episode to the next. As YouTube’s senior director of product management, Kurt Wilms, explains, the interface will remember a viewer’s place within a series, enabling seamless continuation the next time they reopen the app. Essentially, YouTube is aligning its platform more closely with the habitual behaviors of television binge-watchers.
This strategic evolution is part of a broader effort to meet the expectations of audiences who now consume content predominantly on larger screens. Over recent years, YouTube’s viewing patterns have shifted dramatically, with living-room engagement rising to extraordinary levels: users currently watch over one billion hours of YouTube content on televisions each day. In the United States, those hours amount to a remarkable 12.6 percent share of all television viewing—a figure roughly equal to the combined presence of major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. In effect, YouTube has ascended into the realm of mainstream television, and the company now seeks to make the app’s visual and functional identity reflect that status.
The introduction of the new “Shows” format represents the culmination of an initiative that has been developing behind the scenes for several years. Initially revealed more than a year ago, the feature traces its lineage back to YouTube’s early work on its “channel store,” a marketplace designed to integrate third-party subscription video services within the broader YouTube ecosystem. That effort required the platform to host complete television shows with full season catalogs. According to Wilms, the visual and structural language of what became “Shows” was born from these experiments. “Primetime Channels,” as YouTube internally called this integration, became an inspiration when the company realized that independent creators—not just major studios—could benefit from this enhanced format and presentation.
Central to this decision was YouTube’s recognition that the traditional boundaries between professional studio content and creator-driven productions have grown increasingly porous. As Wilms pointedly observes, the distinction between a high-profile series such as *The White Lotus* and a creator-led show like Michelle Khare’s *Challenge Accepted* is becoming less relevant from the viewer’s perspective. Both forms are consumed in the same way, on the same screens, often in the same viewing sessions. In essence, viewers are treating creator content as a legitimate part of their regular television rotation.
This evolution in consumption habits has encouraged creators to adapt their own production strategies. Many are moving beyond short viral clips toward more structured, episodic storytelling—building arcs that develop across multiple videos and emphasize narrative craftsmanship and cinematic presentation. The trend is also visible in the technical quality of uploads, with the volume of 4K video submissions increasing by more than 35 percent year over year. In parallel, the platform has witnessed an explosive rise in long-form formats such as video podcasts. Currently, YouTube hosts a podcast audience exceeding one billion monthly viewers, with approximately 400 million hours of podcast content watched specifically in living rooms each month. Wilms frames this phenomenon as a reinvention of traditional late-night talk shows—an apt description given that conventional broadcast networks have begun retreating from that format while YouTube steps in to occupy its cultural void.
Building on this momentum, YouTube now extends its new “show” interface treatment to podcasts as well, giving them a presentation that mirrors that of scripted episodic programs. The decision underscores the company’s intent to unify the aesthetic and structural experience across all long-form video categories, whether the content originates from independent creators or major media publishers.
The official announcement of these sweeping updates—including the introduction of the Shows feature, the redesigned television home interface, artificial intelligence–powered video upscaling for lower-resolution streams, and simplified shopping integrated directly into the TV experience—marks a decisive turning point. For years, YouTube appeared heavily invested in optimizing for mobile devices and promoting emergent formats such as Shorts, while its television platform lagged in both functionality and design. Occasional updates maintained basic usability, but the company seemed hesitant to treat the big screen as a fully fledged entertainment environment.
Take, for example, something as seemingly trivial as video thumbnails. Until now, creators could not upload thumbnail images larger than two megabytes, and the platform automatically downscaled them to 720p. As Wilms acknowledges, it has been over a decade since YouTube last revised this aspect of its workflow. The new update demolishes those limitations, allowing uploads of up to 50 megabytes and displaying them in pristine 4K resolution on compatible devices. Though modest at first glance, this adjustment epitomizes YouTube’s broader awakening to the nuances of the television viewing experience.
Industry observers have long noted a particular irony: YouTube’s dominance in the living room seemed almost accidental, driven more by organic viewer behavior than by any deliberate corporate plan. Dave Bernath, CEO of Wurl, articulated this sentiment during a recent keynote presentation, remarking that YouTube became the largest force in television “without even trying.” The implication is clear—if YouTube achieved this scale passively, the industry should brace itself for the transformation that will follow now that the company is, quite explicitly, trying.
In short, YouTube’s redesign and its strategic pivot toward the big screen signal not just an interface enhancement but a cultural shift in how digital content defines “television.” The world’s most popular video platform is no longer content to simply connect creators and viewers—it now seeks to redefine what television itself looks and feels like in the age of connected screens.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/column/809883/inside-youtubes-transformation-on-your-tv
