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Short-form video is a format that\u2019s built for mobile \u2014 these vertically oriented videos are designed to fit the shape of a smartphone. But according to YouTube, this kind of content has become quite popular on the big screen. It seems counterintuitive, but the data is hard to argue against: YouTube viewers watch over 2 billion hours<\/a> of YouTube Shorts \u2014 the platform\u2019s clips that run up to three minutes \u2014 on TVs each month.<\/p>\n \u201cThe living room is YouTube\u2019s fastest-growing screen, and the Shorts experience is further helping connect viewers with the world\u2019s most active creator community from the comfort of their couch,\u201d said Kurt Wilms, YouTube\u2019s Senior Director of Product Management for YouTube on TV. \u201cWe\u2019ve found that audiences increasingly want to watch their favorite content on the biggest screen at home, whether it\u2019s long-form content, a podcast, or a Short.\u201d<\/p>\n The living room has become a major growth target for YouTube overall. U.S. viewers alone are watching over 200 million hours of YouTube content daily. YouTube shows Shorts in search results from users watching on TV, so even if they didn\u2019t set out to watch a minute-long clip on the big screen, they might end up checking one out anyway. Google TV, a platform from YouTube\u2019s parent company Alphabet, recently announced a \u201cShort videos for you\u201d<\/a> row on the Google TV feed, which is supposed to further boost watch time.<\/p>\n Because there\u2019s so much extra screen real estate available when watching a vertical video on a television, YouTube has updated the viewing experience to show comments beside the video.<\/p>\n \u201cBy tailoring Shorts for the big screen, we unlocked a more immersive way for fans to engage with their favorite content while also creating a massive new stage for creators to reach global audiences and scale their businesses,\u201d said Sarah Ali, VP of Product Management for YouTube Shorts, in a press release.<\/p>\n This trend has even extended to podcast viewership<\/a>, even though podcasts are generally an audio-first medium. Streaming companies are increasingly betting on podcasts to become the new daytime talk show \u2014 something that people can turn on and watch but also still get the gist if they get up to do something else while they listen to the television from an adjacent room.<\/p>\n According to YouTube, viewers watched over\u00a0700 million hours<\/a>\u00a0of podcasts each month on living room devices in 2025, up from 400 million per month in 2024. Netflix has invested heavily in video podcasts too \u2014 it signed deals with iHeartMedia, Barstool Sports, Spotify, and other studios to exclusively gain video rights to certain shows. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n