YouTube is making its TikTok-inspired Shorts format available on its TV apps. Starting today, support for Shorts videos is rolling out on the YouTube app for TV models released in 2019 or newer, as well as game consoles.

In a blog post detailing its design approach for bringing YouTube Shorts to its TV apps, the company explained that a lot of work was required to adapt the mobile-first vertical video format to the big screen. The YouTube team ended with a customized version of its video player that fill the blank spaces on either side of the video.

When watching YouTube Shorts on TV, the title and name of the creator will appear on the right side of the screen, right above the thumbs-up and down buttons. YouTube users will also be able to use their TV remote to play and pause Shorts or move to the next or previous video.

It’s easy to dismiss YouTube Shorts as an uninspired attempt to copy TikTok, but keep in mind that YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users and that the YouTube app is preinstalled on most smart TVs these days. It will also soon become possible to monetize YouTube Shorts videos with a 45% revenue split, which could make the format even more attractive for content creators out there.

Tagged with YouTube, YouTube Shorts