As TV becomes one of the fastest-growing ways people watch YouTube, they’re rolling out a new set of updates aimed at making content feel more premium on the big screen. These changes are meant to upgrade how existing content looks and performs on TV.

Higher-Quality

YouTube is expanding the thumbnail file size limit from 2MB to 50MB. Allowing 4K thumbnails that look sharp on large displays.

In addition, YouTube is introducing an AI Video Upscaler that can automatically improve resolution on older or lower-quality uploads. Videos below 1080p can be upscaled from SD to HD, with plans to eventually support resolutions up to 4K.

‍Channel Browsing

YouTube is also improving how channels appear while browsing on TV.

Channels will now appear with “immersive previews” on the TV homepage, allowing you to scroll through content similar to browsing a streaming service.

Shopping

For videos with tagged products, you will soon be able to scan a QR code directly from your TV screen to open the product page on mobile. YouTube is also testing the ability to feature products at specific moments within a video, allowing creators to showcase items exactly when they’re most relevant.

These updates reinforce a trend we’ve been seeing for a while: YouTube content is increasingly being consumed like traditional TV.

For creators, this means thinking beyond mobile-first optimization. Thumbnails, video quality, playlists, and channel organization all matter more when viewers are watching from their living rooms. For 5 tips you can apply today to optimize your channel for TV, click here.

If TV already represents a meaningful share of your watch time, these updates are worth paying attention to. If you have any questions about optimizing your channel for TV or anything else YouTube related, feel free to contact us.

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