YouTube has been making some small improvements to its TV app, most notably reducing the amount of overlap when you watch and interact with videos.
The company announced a small update to the platform in a blog post on Wednesday, designed to improve functionality with a bulge to the left. If you’re watching a YouTube clip on your TV and want to pull up the video description or comments, YouTube will now push the still-playing clip to the side and display the information next to it (rather than on top).
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YouTube on TV interaction designer Joe Hines and product manager Aishwarya Agarwal wrote: “We started thinking about reducing the size of the video player and simplifying interactions such as comments Iconic features can then coexist with the content, rather than overshadow it.” in the article.
“During testing, users shared with us that they wished the videos were smaller so they could better read the comments while watching. We hope this design will allow users to engage more deeply with other features such as chapters, key play and Shopping, all right on their TV.”
Yes, essentially YouTube just moved the video over the pit, but it does look cleaner while making it easier for creators to sell you stuff while you’re watching. YouTube appears to be particularly focused on providing a better experience for sports fans who want live scores during live broadcasts, while also benefiting creators whose videos are shoppable, with a list of products available for purchase next to the video. Hines and Agarwal said the team will be working on expanding the layout to accommodate video with live chat, fantasy views and multi-views.
The feature will roll out to the YouTube app on TV “in the coming weeks” and to YouTube TV subscribers “in the coming days.”