Short-form videos are crafted for mobile, fitting a smartphone’s vertical shape. Yet, YouTube reports this format is gaining traction on larger screens, with users watching over 2 billion hours of YouTube Shorts on TVs monthly. Kurt Wilms, Senior Director of Product Management for YouTube on TV, noted, “YouTube’s fastest-growing screen is the living room, and Shorts enhance viewer engagement from their couch.” He added that people increasingly prefer watching favorites on their home’s biggest screen, whether long-form content, podcasts, or Shorts.
The living room is becoming a significant focus for YouTube, with U.S. viewers consuming over 200 million hours of content daily. YouTube integrates Shorts into TV search results, prompting unexpected viewership on big screens. Google TV recently touted a “Short videos for you” feature meant to further increase view time.
To optimize vertical video viewing on TVs, YouTube has adjusted its interface to display comments alongside the video. Sarah Ali, VP of Product Management for YouTube Shorts, mentioned, “By adapting Shorts for larger screens, we’ve crafted a more engaging viewer experience and provided creators a vast platform to reach audiences globally.”
This trend also affects podcast consumption, traditionally audio-centric. Streaming platforms now see podcasts as potential new daytime talk shows—background viewing/listening from nearby rooms. YouTube stated that in 2025, over 700 million hours of podcasts were watched monthly on living room devices, a rise from 400 million hours in 2024. Netflix has made significant investments in video podcasts, securing agreements with iHeartMedia, Barstool Sports, and Spotify for exclusive video rights to selected shows.