YouTube reports 2 billion monthly hours of Shorts viewed on televisions

YouTube has announced that viewers watch more than 2 billion hours of Shorts on televisions each month, signalling a significant shift in how the platform’s short-form content is consumed. Kurt Wilms, YouTube’s Senior Director of Product Management for YouTube on TV, identified the living room as the platform’s fastest-growing screen, noting that audiences increasingly prefer watching their favourite content on the biggest display at home.

To accommodate the larger display, YouTube has revised the viewing experience for Shorts on TV to show comments beside the vertical video, utilising the extra screen real estate. The platform also integrates Shorts into search results for users watching on TV, which may drive incidental viewing even when users did not initially intend to watch a minute-long clip.

Google TV, a platform from parent company Alphabet, has introduced a “Short videos for you” row on the Google TV feed to boost watch time. Sarah Ali, VP of Product Management for YouTube Shorts, stated that tailoring Shorts for the big screen creates a new stage for creators to reach global audiences and scale their businesses while offering a more immersive way for fans to engage with content.

The trend extends beyond short-form video to audio-first content, with viewers watching over 700 million hours of podcasts on living room devices in 2025, up from 400 million in 2024. Streaming companies, including Netflix, are investing heavily in video podcasts, signing exclusive deals with studios such as iHeartMedia, Barstool Sports, and Spotify to gain video rights to certain shows.

U.S. viewers alone are watching over 200 million hours of YouTube content daily, highlighting the scale of the platform’s reach. While the geographic breakdown of the 2 billion hours of Shorts viewed on TVs is not specified, the data underscores the growing importance of the living room in YouTube’s overall growth strategy.