Sociable: YouTube rolls out improvements for connected TV

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The company added multiple new features, including the ability to turn creator playlists into shows so viewers can stream videos episodically.

“Sociable” is the latest commentary on important social media developments and trends from industry expert Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today.

YouTube announced updates to its TV app as the company continues to fuel Connected TV engagement, which has been one of its fastest-growing formats.

First, YouTube now lets creators turn their playlists into shows, making it easier for CTV viewers to binge content.

CTV viewers can now watch a series of videos from a creator like they would watch a regular TV show, presented in a more familiar episodic format.

As explained by YouTube: “For creators in the YouTube Partner Program, playlists of high-quality videos that share consistent themes and stories across episodes can now be designated as shows in YouTube Studio. Once created, shows are displayed as beautifully designed featured series with dedicated immersive show pages and organized seasons.”

YouTube also added new Show and Podcast tabs to the Watch page, which will make it easier for viewers to organize creator content.

Podcasts have been a surprise hit for YouTube CTV push, with the platform users streaming more than 700 million hours of podcasts via their TV sets last October, according to reporting from CNBC .

YouTube is also looking to improve CTV navigation tools, with a new Shorts access point, as well as bigger Previous and Next buttons to guide viewing behavior.

The company also added a new releases shelf for musician pages, which will help CTV viewers access the latest music content.

On another front, YouTube added a new account locking feature, which will enable users to lock their accounts with a 4-digit code in order to keep their history and recommendations private.

Parents and caregivers can also set a 4-digit parent code for the YouTube app on TVs, providing another way to prevent kids from watching YouTube clips in signed-out mode.

YouTube also improved its QR sign-in flow and redesigned the casting and Watch page viewing experience for kids’ content on TVs.

Connected TV viewing has been a big growth driver for the app, with people now watching more than a billion hours of YouTube content on their home TV sets every day.

These improvements will help YouTube lean into this, and ideally drive more engaged viewing behavior.

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