YouTube has started rolling out its TikTok rival short-form video app Shorts on TV
YouTube has begun distributing its new short-form video tool, Shorts on TV, to its viewers all around the world in an effort to compete with TikTok. Users of the upgraded YouTube app for smart TVs will now have the ability to view popular vertical videos in an experience that has been optimized.
“Shorts, coming soon to a television set near you! The company announced in a statement late on Monday that beginning on Tuesday, viewers will be able to experience these short bursts of video (less than one minute in length) on the big screen in the comfort of their own homes. Users will experience a modified version of a “maximal” prototype when the new design is rolled out to them.
“We simplified the design of the right side rail, but will be looking to bring additional functionality in future releases.” The company stated, “We believe that this experience balances the fun and quirkiness of Shorts in a way that feels natural for TV.”
This experience will be rolling out over the next several weeks for television models released in 2019 and later, as well as on more recent game consoles. You can also use the remote control to begin playing a video in the Shorts section, pause it, or start playing it by clicking directly on the short itself or using the Play and Pause buttons located on the remote control itself. YouTube Shorts now gets 30 billion views every day and is still growing at a very fast rate.
YouTube isn’t the first provider to offer vertical short-form films on the TV screen; that honor goes to Vimeo. TikTok has spent some time researching and developing new interfaces for smart TVs.