C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- YouTube on Android TV is making it easier to subscribe to channels.
- A subscribe button right in the video player saves viewers from extra clicks.
- Lowering that bar will presumably help boost subscriber numbers.
In the last few months alone, YouTube has offered plenty of support for its reputation as a product that’s constantly evolving, and we’ve seen it add hyperlinked comments that nobody wanted, a more easily accessible account switcher, and more. That account switcher was definitely a welcome addition, since unlike our phones, TVs are often communal devices, and switching accounts was a needlessly painful experience before. Google is addressing another pain point right now, as it makes it easier to subscribe to channels while watching a video.
Until now, subscribing to a channel while watching a video on the TV app has been a multi-step process. From the player interface, you’d need to click on the channel’s photo and subscribe from a side menu. A new change spotted by 9to5Google has simplified this process by placing a subscribe button right in the player itself.
On the one hand, the player is quite cluttered with all of the buttons that reside there, but this is a case of function over form. A quick and easy subscribe button offers less friction to a user than having to call up an additional menu, and from a creator’s point of view, the easier it is to subscribe, the better.
The focus on YouTube’s TV experience isn’t surprising. Last year, almost half of YouTube streaming in the US was on TVs, and that shift has been reflected in YouTube content as well. Many of the videos we watch now include QR codes to other content offered by that channel, with the video host specifically calling out viewers on smart TVs. With that in mind, it seems obvious that Google will continue to make changes to YouTube on the big screen, and we should expect to see more tweaks like this in the coming months.
Have you found yourself using YouTube on the TV more often? If you have, will changes like this meaningfully improve your experience? If you tend to stick to your phone and tablet for YouTube watching, what changes would you like to see that would make you more likely to switch to your TV? Let us know down in the comments.
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