Report: YouTube TV getting split screen mode and Shorts are coming to televisions

Abner Li | Aug 22 2022 - 1:39 pm PT

Earlier this month, a report revealed that Google TV was adding Nest Audio support, as well as Fitbit/Wear OS and smart home integrations. Details of a YouTube TV split screen mode and YouTube Shorts on televisions have now emerged.

According to Protocol today, Google last month told partners about a series of upcoming updates for the YouTube clients on Android and Google TV.

YouTube TV, which just marked 5 million subscribers and trialers, is said to be getting a “Mosaic Mode” that “will allow subscribers to watch up to four live feeds at the same time by dividing the TV screen into quadrants.” This split screen mode will presumably also support two or three video configurations and sounds particularly ideal for watching simultaneous sporting events.

No other details are available today, with “live feeds” hopefully referring to channels instead of Mosaic only being available for select programing (like to offer multiple views). Meanwhile, YouTube TV will presumably not aggressively crop the videos and offer just one audio stream at a time.

Meanwhile, the other big development is that YouTube Shorts are coming to televisions with letterboxing and controls at the right of the vertical video:

A mock-up slide presented to the audience of Google’s partner event, which was leaked to Protocol, showed a vertical video at the center of the screen, with the video’s title, the name of the song used in the clip and quick access to up-and-down thumbs off to the side.

These features were introduced to partners in the context of Android/Google TV. YouTube usually maintains feature parity across platforms, though, so this should come to everywhere the large screen YouTube app is available. Frankly, YouTube TV’s split screen mode would be great on Android tablets and the iPad, as well as the web.