YouTube Shares Tips on How Creators Can Align with CTV Viewing

With connected TV (CTV) viewing on the rise, YouTube has provided some new tips to help creators align with CTV content consumption, and ensure that they’re putting their best foot forward on the bigger screen.

And it is worth considering.

Earlier this year, YouTube reported that its users now watch more than a billion hours of YouTube content on their TV sets every day, while views of YouTube Shorts on connected TVs grew by more than 100% year-over-year.

Even more, Nielsen reported that YouTube was the top streaming platform by watch time in 2023.

So, yeah, a lot of YouTube content being consumed on TV sets. And that also provides more immersive scope for your content, and your YouTube promotions.

In order to maximize this, YouTube has provided five tips:

Use your analytics to track TV viewing behaviors – YouTube says that Channel managers can track their audience’s TV engagement behaviors within YouTube Analytics. “On your computer, go to “Advanced Mode”, and filter by “Device Type” to see your TV watch time and views. You can even track your count of new subscribers from TV who found you while browsing your channel page, while watching your long-form videos, or while scrolling through your Shorts content.”

Create for higher quality playback – YouTube notes that many TVs are now 4K compatible, and creators should note this in their process: “Uploading in 4K ensures your content looks its absolute best. Good lighting during filming and consistent color grading while editing can help create a polished, professional look that keeps your viewers immersed.”
Consider your thumbnails – YouTube says that thumbnails are “supersized” on TV screens, so it’s important to ensure they are high quality, and high resolution, to maximize impact.
Episodic content works best – YouTube says that episodic content that keeps viewers coming back can be a great way to maximize return CTV viewers: “If you want to really hook your TV audience, try building your channel around familiar frameworks, recurring themes, or beloved characters.”
Optimize your Channel page – Finally, YouTube also notes that Channel pages are blown up on the big screen as well, so it’s important to optimize your visuals for maximum impact. “Choose a clean design that’s easy to see from afar and upload a high-resolution image (2560 x 1440 pixels, 6MB max).”

These are some handy pointers, which will help to ensure that your YouTube channel and content stands out on the bigger screen.

And again, more and more people are consuming YouTube on their TV set, so it’s worth considering how you can lean into this to improve performance.

You can check out YouTube’s full CTV tips here.