As YouTube dominates living room screens, the platform introduces AI-powered upgrades and commerce tools to keep viewers engaged — and creators profitable.
YouTube Doubles Down on the Living Room
With 12.4% of total U.S. TV screen time, YouTube is now outpacing Netflix, Disney, and Paramount in the living room, according to Nielsen. To build on that lead, the platform is rolling out new features tailored to TV viewers, aiming to make video watching more interactive, immersive, and profitable for creators.
Scan and Shop: QR Codes for Commerce
One of the most notable additions is the introduction of QR codes in videos that link to shoppable products. Viewers can simply scan the code using their phone while watching YouTube on their TV to instantly access product pages.
- This feature supports creator-linked merchandise and external online stores.
- It targets YouTube’s massive shopping content audience, which logged 35 billion hours last year.
- The move is designed to boost creator revenue, with six-figure income channels via TV views increasing by 45% year-over-year.
YouTube also plans to test timed product displays within videos, making product discovery more contextual and less disruptive.
AI-Powered Upscaling for Sharper Viewing
To improve the video quality of older or lower-resolution uploads, YouTube is introducing AI-based upscaling.
- Initially, the system will convert videos to Full HD, with 4K upscaling coming later.
- Creators retain full control, with original files preserved.
- Viewers will still be able to select the original resolution if preferred.
However, AI upscaling remains a sensitive topic in the industry. Netflix faced backlash for AI-enhanced remasters that distorted character faces in older series — a challenge YouTube must carefully navigate.
Thumbnails and Upload Enhancements
YouTube is also supporting larger, higher-quality thumbnails by increasing the file size limit from 2MB to 50MB to support 4K resolution previews. This update helps maintain visual consistency on large screens.
In addition, YouTube is experimenting with larger video uploads among select creators to ensure higher playback quality on TV screens.
Smarter Search and Immersive Browsing
YouTube wants to make content discovery more intuitive on TV:
- Immersive previews will allow viewers to flip through video snippets, making it easier to decide what to watch.
- A new contextual search feature prioritizes videos from the channel you’re browsing, showing creator-specific results at the top — a move that strengthens channel loyalty and discovery.
Competitive Edge with Creator-Centric Tools
While QR shopping features are not exclusive to YouTube—platforms like Roku and Peacock have already adopted similar tools—YouTube’s integration gives creators more autonomy. By directly linking to their stores and monetizing their TV audience, creators can better scale their revenue streams.
YouTube is revamping its TV app with QR code shopping, AI-powered video upscaling, 4K thumbnail support, and smarter search tools. These updates aim to boost viewer engagement, creator revenue, and YouTube’s dominance in living room entertainment.
