The News
Last week, YouTube announced a range of new data points suggesting more and more people are watching it on their big screens. The company announced on Wednesday that viewers watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices, which they watched actively or had on in their homes as they did chores or other activities.
In an interview with Semafor, Kurt Wilms, the platform’s senior director of product management, said that online creators had noticed the spike — and a corresponding jump in their revenue. According to Wilms, the number of creators who are making the majority of their revenue from these living room devices is up 30% year-over-year. Categorically, the company noted that sports viewership was growing particularly strongly: TV watchtime of sports content, which is primarily game highlights, commentary, and clips, was up 30% year over year.
Other signs also pointed to a continuing interest in YouTube viewership on TV. The company said that users were increasingly uploading high-quality 4K videos, which are best viewed on compatible TVs. Wilms said that while most of what users see on their TVs is similar to what they see on their phones or computers, the company slightly tweaks its recommendation algorithms on connected TVs to prioritize that high-quality 4K content. Creators, too, are increasingly making content intentionally designed to be consumed on a television.
“They’re making content that’s made for TV,” he said, noting the rise in 4K-quality uploads. “Creators are leaning into making content built for the TV.”