According to the protocol, YouTube TV, Google’s response to cable TV, can soon enable users to watch up to four live streams at a time thanks to a new feature called “Mosaic Mode”. According to a private presentation Google delivered to the manufacturers of smart TVs, the search engine giant also covered upcoming YouTube Shorts adaptations for the large screen as well as new YouTube Music capability.
YouTube TV
A comparable feature that was part of the late Sony PlayStation Vue service comes to mind when thinking about Mosaic mode. Although it was revealed in a presentation for Google TV and Android TV hardware manufacturers, Protocol points out that given that Google tends to keep its services uniform across different hardware, the capability is expected to eventually appear on non-Android smart TVs from Samsung and LG.
YouTube Shorts and TikTok
The presentation also covers upgrades for YouTube Shorts, the company’s offering for short videos like TikTok, when viewed on large screens. According to the source, YouTube Shorts on smart TVs may eventually do away with the scroll bar that is used to browse through regular YouTube videos and provide rapid access to thumbs up and thumbs down buttons. YouTube Shorts presently play using a conventional YouTube interface that is not well-suited for their short-form approach, even though they are currently viewable in the YouTube app on some smart TVs (such as LG’s).
TikTok Smart TV Platform
The development of the function by Google coincides with the continuous expansion of TikTok in the smart television market. Although primarily associated with mobile devices, TikTok is now available on multiple smart television platforms, including Samsung, LG, Google and Amazon. However, Protocol notes that while buyers should explicitly search for TikTok applications, Google has the advantage of having YouTube pre-installed on many televisions.
Last but not least, there are a few new capabilities for smart TVs coming to YouTube Music, including the ability for subscribers to browse and add playlists and albums to their libraries.
