With YouTube marking a new milestone in connected TV viewing (i.e. people watching YouTube on their home TV set), the platform’s taking the opportunity to launch a new channel page layout for TV, which will provide another way for creators to maximize connection with a broader range of viewers.

First off, on the steady rise of connected TV viewing. According to the latest data from Nielsen, YouTube was the top streaming platform by watch time in 2023, underlining the growth of the platform as a key entertainment option.

While YouTube was once viewed as an online complement to traditional TV, or a supplementary entertainment element, it’s now becoming more of a focus in its own right, with the next generation of consumers turning to the platform as their primary video content choice.

As per YouTube:

“Viewers globally now watch more than 1 billion hours on average of YouTube content on their TVs every day and the number of top creators that receive the majority of their watchtime on TVs has increased by more than 400%.”

In addition to this, YouTube also notes that views of YouTube Shorts on connected TVs have also grown by more than 100% over the past year.

Which is why its new dedicated TV channels update is important.  

As outlined by YouTube Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie, the new channel layout for connected TVs will feature a larger channel art display, and a bigger “Subscribe” button to help drive growth.

It’s a logical update, moving in line with broader consumption trends, which will enable more creators to lean into TV viewing as a primary connection to their audience.

Which is also an important consideration for marketers.

YouTube’s connected TV viewership has been steadily increasing for years, providing more opportunities for brands to reach these viewers with TV-like promotions, which, for many, would have been entirely out of reach based on traditional TV advertising costs.  

Yet, TV ads are among the most effective in terms of brand recall and response. As such, it could be worth considering how you can utilize YouTube’s expanding connected TV ad options to reach your target audience, and tap into this growing segment, with TV-like reach via digital ad targeting.

It is going to become a bigger consideration, and with YouTube adding more connected TV ad tools, it’s worth assessing where it may fit into your planning.