YouTube viewership on TV has now surpassed mobile in the U.S. in watch time. This is huge news for creators, as mobile has been the most dominant device for viewing YouTube for years. What does this mean for creators, and how can you best optimize your videos for TV? We’ll cover it all here.
Firstly, while this is a big shift in YouTube’s overall landscape, TV viewership varies by channel. An easy way to check your own audience’s viewing behavior is in Creator Studio > Analytics > Audience > Device Type. This will show the percentage of your viewers watching from each device. Some of our clients have reached 25% TV viewership, especially for long-form podcasts and livestream content.
If you are a podcast or livestream creator, you may see similar data on your end. YouTube is now the most frequently used service for podcasts in the U.S., with a significant portion of that viewership coming from TVs.
So how can you make sure your videos are optimized for TV consumption? Here are some key things to keep in mind:
1. Optimize Visual Elements for Large Screens
TVs are typically much larger than a user's computer or mobile screen, that means your video quality is more important than ever. For the best viewing experience across all platforms and screensizes, if possible, record and export in 4k.
Ensure your thumbnails, graphics, and text are high-resolution and clearly visible on larger displays. Use bold fonts and high-contrast colors to improve readability and visual appeal.
2. Prioritize High-Quality Audio
TV setups often have superior sound systems compared to mobile and desktop viewing. Ensure high-quality audio production and post-production to capitalize on clear and immersive sound that enhances the TV viewing experience.
3. Utilize Series and Playlists for Continuous Viewing
TV users often watch YouTube similarly to how they would a traditional TV show, preferring long-form episodic series. If you are doing this already, possibly with a podcast or similar series of videos, great! If not, consider turning a format of your videos into a more traditional episodic set of videos, and adding those to a playlist. This makes it easy for viewers to commit to a longer form video, since they’re already familiar with the content they're about to watch.
Maintaining updated playlists can help keep your audience watching, similar to a TV series. Playlists allow viewers to binge-watch related content seamlessly. YouTube is planning to optimize playlist features in 2025, and we’ll update you as soon as they’re available.
4. Understand Your Audience’s TV Viewing Habits
If a large percentage of your watch time comes from TV viewers, it’s valuable to adjust your content strategy accordingly. TV audiences tend to watch longer-form content, so if you’re a podcaster, experiment with extended podcast segments, compilations, and other formats suited for TV.
5. Take Advantage of Video Dubbing
YouTube recently revealed that 40% of all watch time comes from viewers using the dubbed audio track feature. This feature allows you to upload multiple language tracks for your videos, expanding your audience worldwide. This can significantly boost your overall watch time, especially on TV. YouTube has also announced an AI auto-dubbing feature, which should be released soon to make dubbing easier for creators.
YouTube is rapidly evolving to enhance the TV viewing experience, and new tools are being introduced to help creators keep audiences engaged. If you want to stay up to date with what’s next, stay tuned here and our newsletter for the latest news. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
