YouTube has started to roll out its redesigned video player for smart TV sets, around more than six months after announcing it.
Google’s television portal hasn’t had as much love as the smartphone apps, which is surprising given its been a massive growth area for YouTube in the last few years.
The new YouTube player on TVs is, according to Google, promises the usual improvements to navigation, controls, and, importantly fewer interruptions.
The title of the video is now in the top left corner rather than above the video scrubber. That title is no longer clickable. Google has also completely redesigned the controls and grouped them into sections on the left, centre and right sides of the screen below the video scrubber.
There’s also a new Multiview option for Live Sports, enabling users to enjoy two games at once, provided they’re being streamed on YouTube. Furthermore, Google is adding a “Notify Me” button for upcoming live events.
Here’s a list of the changes, that are part of the ongoing 20th anniversary celebrations of YouTube, directly from Google:
- Relocated Video Titles: The video title is now at the top left of the player and no longer clickable, separating it from the interactive controls.
- Reorganized Controls: We’ve grouped controls into three clear sections below the video scrubber.
- Left: Channel, Description, and Subscribe
- Center: Previous, Pause, and Next
- Right: Like, Dislike, Comment, Save, Closed Captions, and Settings
- New “Description” Button: The “Description” button replaces the clickable title to view video metadata, comments, and creator details.
- Enhanced Subscribe Button: The subscribe button is now always visible and will adapt for pay-gated content and “Notify Me” for upcoming live streams.
- New Controls: Users will see “Multiview” for live sports, and Music and Premium subscribers will see “Display Mode.”
