YouTube is redesigning its TV app to compete with Amazon Prime Video
YouTube’s new redesign will see the TV app homepage highlight more paid content.
YouTube is planning a major redesign of its TV app that will make it look more like Netflix, according to The Information. Expected to roll out in the next few months, the update will showcase paid content from streaming services directly on the homepage.
Currently, YouTube allows users to browse and subscribe to services like Paramount Plus, Max, and Crunchyroll through its Primetime Channels feature, which launched in 2022. This setup works similarly to Amazon’s Prime Video, where YouTube gets a cut from every subscription made through the platform. However, access to these services is currently limited to the Movies and TV tab, making discovery more difficult. YouTube had also paused adding new services to Primetime Channels due to challenges in integrating paid content effectively.
To fix this, YouTube will now integrate paid streaming services directly onto the TV app’s homepage, making them more visible and accessible to users. Additionally, the update will allow creators to organise their content into seasons and introduce automatic previews for shows, making it easier for viewers to discover new content.
Kurt Wilms, YouTube’s senior director of product management, explained the vision behind these changes: “The vision is that when you come to our [TV] app and you’re looking for a show, it’ll just blend away whether that show is from a Primetime Channel or that show is from a creator.”
YouTube has been making significant changes to its TV app, and last month, it announced that TVs have become the primary device for watching YouTube, overtaking mobile phones.
For independent artists and creators, this shift towards highlighting and prioritising paid content raises both opportunities and challenges. Firstly, competition for real estate on the homepage will be increased as independent creators might face more difficulty getting their videos discovered organically. As a result, independent creators may need to step up other forms of engagement such as community engagement and collaborations to maintain viewership. However, an expansion of YouTube’s subscription-based model could mean increased opportunities for monetisation.