YouTube Shorts Are Coming For Your TV To Take On TikTok

YouTube wants a larger piece of the vertical video pie, as it looks to add the ability to watch YouTube Shorts on TVs. Along with the addition of Google's version of TikTok, the company is aiming to give better support for its music service on smart TVs, and its paid TV service with a split-screen viewing option for its subscribers.

TikTok, while seemingly always in the midst of controversy, remains one of the most popular platforms for content creators and viewers alike. Therefore, it is no surprise that companies, such as Google, are looking to cash in on the vertical video craze. Apparently, Google has plans to add YouTube Shorts to its smart TV app, making it more accessible than ever before.

According to a recent posting on Protocol, YouTube employees shared the new details at an internal partner event with hardware manufacturers last month. While the event was focused on Google's Android TV and Google TV platforms, the tech giant typically tries to maintain the same experience across all smart TV platforms. This means that YouTube Shorts will more than likely be found on more TVs that feature the YouTube app.

YouTube Shorts has seen its own share of success, as it reached 30 billion daily views earlier this year. Up until now, however, it has lacked support for being viewed on TVs. Users are currently unable to cast a YouTube Short to a TV, and there is no feature for it on the service's TV app.

The leak that Protocol was privy to included part of the presentation which included a mock-up slide presented at the Google partner event. In the mock-up, a vertical video was seen at the center of the screen, along with the video's title, the name of the song used in the video, and access to a thumbs up-and-down feature off to the side.

TikTok is no stranger to TVs, as it has been taking advantage of the big screens for a while. A TikTok app can be found on smart TVs made by LG and Samsung, as well as TVs devices utilizing Amazon's and Google's platforms coming in November.

Where YouTube Shorts will have the advantage is in the fact that the YouTube app is already available on nearly every smart TV. This will make searching for YouTube Shorts far easier, as users have to actively seek out TikTok's app if they want to see their favorite short form videos from the popular app on a bigger screen.

The draw to use YouTube's TV app will be enhanced, as the company is planning on improving stability and performance, as well as adding a cool new feature. The Mosaic Mode will give users the ability to watch up to four live feeds at the same time by splitting the screen into quadrants. Assuming YouTube Shorts will be part of the media allowed to be viewed in the new mode, it would give viewers the ability to watch up to four of their favorite content creators at the same time (someone say SQUIRREL!).

As with any leak, only time will tell how much of it will actually come to fruition. What are your thoughts on YouTube Shorts being added to the big screen? Will you be taking advantage of it and the new Mosaic Mode? Let us know in the comments.