YouTube introduces revamped channel pages for creators on its TV app

YouTube announced today that it is revamping the design for creators’ channels on the big screen. These changes, which were first introduced for artists’ pages last fall, include more accessible action buttons such as “Subscribe,” a modernized design, and various tweaks aimed at enhancing user experience.

Initially rolled out for artist pages, the changes are part of a larger YouTube makeover that encompasses integrated voice search in the search bar, a redesigned menu for easier navigation, a new vertical video info menu, larger thumbnails, and more.

In a brief video outlining the updates to creators’ pages, YouTube emphasizes a focus on providing a more immersive layout design that highlights the most relevant content and simplifies access to the Subscribe button. While the update is being rolled out to all creators today, it may take a few weeks to appear for all viewers, according to YouTube.

These enhancements specifically impact channel pages on TV, offering users the option to play a mix of video content from the channel alongside the new Subscribe button. As depicted in images of the changes, the updated page features edge-to-edge display for channel banners. YouTube advises all creators to prepare 16×9 full art for their channel banners uploaded to the platform, as the new design now showcases the art in this format.

The redesign coincides with the company’s recent disclosure of new data, which indicates that top creators receiving the majority of their watch time on TVs have experienced over a 400% growth in the past three years, as highlighted in a recent post by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. Given this trend, creators are likely to welcome changes that facilitate increased subscriber numbers and improved presentation of their content on the big screen.

YouTube finds itself in competition not only with traditional TV networks and streamers like Netflix but also with newcomers such as TikTok, which introduced its own TV app in late 2021. As viewing habits continue to evolve and more users gravitate towards consuming content on television screens, enhancing the viewing experience and accessibility of creators’ channels becomes increasingly vital for YouTube to maintain its competitive edge in this landscape.