YouTube Tests Fast-Forward Feature That Brings Viewer to the Best Part of a Video Automatically
YouTube’s latest experiment uses viewer history and machine learning to identify the part of a video the watcher will be most interested in.
The technicians at YouTube are at it again! The social video hosting platform has a history of tweaking its interface to make the viewing experience better for customers, both on the standard YouTube platform and the live TV streaming service YouTube TV. A new report from 9to5 Google reveals that YouTube is rolling out a new fast-forward feature that allows viewers to jump directly to the best part of the video, though it’s still only in the testing phase for now.
- YouTube’s new fast-forward ability uses viewer history and machine learning to determine which part of a video they’re likely to be most interested in.
- The new fast-forward option is being tested with a small group of U.S.-based viewers.
- YouTube consistently draws a bigger share of total TV viewing time than every subscription video service.
This newest YouTube feature is not yet available widely as the platform is still testing it with a small portion of viewers in the United States. It functions similarly to the double-tap fast-forward option that YouTube audiences on Android or iOS devices can use now, which skips ahead ten seconds and jumps even more time if the viewer keeps tapping.
The new fast-forward feature activates when the watcher uses the current double-tap function. A “Jump Ahead” button appears on the screen, allowing the viewer to skip to the meat of the video and watch only the parts that are most important to them, as determined by YouTube.
The experimental fast-forward option is powered by machine learning, as well as a viewers’ watch history. It leverages this data to automatically choose parts of a video that will be of special interest to the particular watcher. As of now, YouTube is reserving this new feature for its Premium customers, and it will work only with eligible videos.
What Other Updates Have Come to YouTube Services Recently?
It’s fairly impressive to watch YouTube engineers churn out a more-or-less constant stream of updates and improvements. Just last week, YouTube TV announced that it was rolling out its multiview function on iPhone and iPad devices, allowing fans to watch multiple games from the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments at once on their mobile devices.
Earlier in March, YouTube TV launched an updated user interface on mobile and smart TV apps to make the sports-watching experience a little smoother. This update shifted the video window and stats column around, and made it more easy for fans to access scores and highlights without having to interrupt their viewing.
Customers can also easily return to the last channel they were watching with YouTube TV’s new shortcut, which made its wide rollout in February. YouTube’s developers are always seeing opportunities for improvement, and its new fast-forward feature is just the latest example of the seemingly non-stop experiments at YouTube to make it a better viewing experience.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $72.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The service includes an unlimited DVR.