YouTube app adds more functionality
February 14, 2012
Google has revealed it will add functionality to the YouTube experience on Google TV, including complete channel pages and the ability to browse by channel.
Currently, users can search by topic area, but the search returns individual video results rather than the channels users see on the desktop version of YouTube. Accessed through Google TV, YouTube also currently lacks the channel pages available on the desktop.
After the updates – which Google says will be available “in the next few days” on the Android Market – watchers will be able to scroll through videos by a particular user using the arrow buttons on their remote. The company blog post announcing the changes also says that users will be able to comment on videos.
Meanwhile, Robert Kyncl, vice-president of TV and entertainment at YouTube owner Google, said it is considering creating payment systems that will go beyond movies and allow television companies to charge viewers to access videos.
Kyncl predicted that within years 90 per cent of all internet traffic will be video, leading to the creation of many more niche television channels. “Yoga enthusiasts don’t have a channel on TV,” Kyncl told The Times. “They should have one. You will see that on the internet.”