More people are watching connected TV. YouTube creators explain what’s driving the trend
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May 2021Share this page
More people are watching connected TV. YouTube creators explain what’s driving the trend
May 2021In the U.S., more than 120 million people streamed YouTube or YouTube TV on their TV screens in December 2020, an increase of 20% from the start of the year. What’s behind that connected TV growth?
To find out, we turned to the experts who have a unique insight into the audiences powering this shift in content consumption: YouTube creators. We asked six stars — including the Swedish inventor Simone Giertz — about the trends they’re seeing, and how these new consumer behaviors will shape the future of video.
Simone Giertz, Inventor: It's fun to think that people might watch my videos on a TV screen.
I mean, the bigger the screen, the bigger the honor.
But generally it also means the bigger distance
between you and your audience.
But with YouTube on TV screens,
I can still keep that close engagement with my viewers.
It definitely makes it more of a social experience watching YouTube
on TV screens because it's hard to gather around a smartphone.
And I think it's pretty simple,
like watching YouTube offers something that TV doesn't.
And it's a new way of consuming and engaging
with the content that you love.
Watch your head.
James Hobson, Hacksmith Industries: When someone's watching on the big screen,
it's only natural that people are going to come together to watch.
And since we do tons of projects from pop culture,
our videos really do span generations because the parents who saw
the original movies in theaters or read the original comics,
well, they end up bonding with their kids over our videos
that we based off of those things.
It's so cool to think that people can share a bit about themselves,
their passions with others just by watching videos on the TV screen.
Thank you.
Renée, Gothamista: So my channel on YouTube is very focused on a specific topic, skincare,
and you don't get to see a lot of people you trust
talking about skincare on TV.
And, you know, I really think that it's important
that people see themselves reflected in what they watch on TV.
I realize mainstream is whatever you want it to be.
It just has to be something you value.
You won’t always find that kind of niche content on TV.
Laurie Shannon, The Icing Artist: We have definitely been seeing more and more people
watch our content on bigger screens
and at the same time our engagement is the highest it has ever been.
It is really reassuring that when you do switch
to a bigger screen that you still have that authenticity
that everybody loves about YouTube.
I find I'm watching so much YouTube on TV these days.
It's so nice to spend the time together as a family
and watch that great quality content on the big screen.
Becky Wright, The Sorry Girls: We have noticed that a lot more of our audience
is consuming our content on a TV.
We know this because we get it in comments
and we see stories that we’re tagged in of people's pets watching us.
Kelsy MacDermaid, The Sorry Girls: I know some of our audience likes to watch our videos on the go,
but I also know that we have a huge, growing demographic
of people that save our videos until they get home from work,
or until they really have a break to sit back,
put the content on the TV and enjoy it, which makes me so happy.
It's like we're part of their day or part of their week.
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