YouTube TV Launching Redesigned Library for Recorded Titles; User Response Negative Thus Far
The streamer last updated its customers’ recordings libraries in early 2023, but that section of its interface is getting a new update.
The YouTube TV “Library” tab pictured above may not be around for much longer. A new report from 9to5 Google indicates that YouTube TV is launching a revamped Library tab, which is making its way to subscribers on various devices this week. Consumer reactions are decidedly mixed so far, but it marks another change in the seemingly ever-evolving YouTube TV interface for customers to keep up with.
- The new YouTube TV library page separates user content into 12 sub-tabs.
- Each sub-tab has its own filters so that viewers can run through them more quickly.
- Thus far, YouTube TV customers seem to almost universally hate the new update.
The new Library tab on YouTube TV separates recordings into 12 categories, each with its own theme located near the top of the screen. When opening the Library page, the customer will be sent to the “New for You” tab, which houses recordings of shows the viewer has pre-set for taping but not yet watched. Next up is the “Recently recorded” tab, which has all the titles a subscriber has recorded in the past week.
Each of the new sections has filters that allow viewers to curate their selections even more. For instance, the “Recently recorded” tab allows the browser to filter by “New” or “Rerun” so they can instantly see if the title in their library is a new episode or not. Other filters include “Series,” “Daily shows,” and “Sports.”
The 12 tabs rolling out to YouTube TV libraries to help filter recorded content include:
- New for you
- Recently recorded
- Most watched
- Scheduled
- Series
- Movies
- Daily shows
- Sports
- Events
- All
- Purchased
- Expired
If you’re a YouTube TV customer who has not seen this update roll out on your device yet, it’s likely on the way. Thus far, reactions on social media to the new Library tab have been almost universally negative. YouTube TV customers on Reddit dislike the fact that the 12 category tabs can’t be reordered and that titles do not disappear from the “New for you” tab automatically once they’ve been watched.
What Other Updates Are New to YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is constantly making changes to its interface to see what resonates most with its subscribers. Ahead of the 2024 NCAA March Madness Tournaments, it launched a new viewing interface for audiences while watching sports, attempting to make it easier to see scores and highlights from games without missing any action from their chosen live game.
Also ahead of the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, YouTube TV began allowing customers on iPhones and iPads to watch sports contests using the multiview feature for the first time. Previously, multiview had only been available on smart TVs and desktop.
YouTube TV’s continuous experiments with its interface have had their supporters and detractors, but the company clearly has more satisfied customers than not. Recent reports indicate YouTube TV is set to show a small profit for the first time at the end of 2024, and is on a path to hit 12 million subscribers by 2026, which could make it the largest distributor of cable channels in the country by that time.
Keep an eye out for the new Library tab in your YouTube TV interface. If it hasn’t arrived for you soon, it’s on the way!
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.