YouTube News

YouTube launched Shorts Series for microdramas on living room TVs

The Made on YouTube update folds episodic Creator Shows into the TV Shorts feed as microdrama watch time rose 90 percent year over year.

By The Creator Wire Staff Published Sept. 24, 2026

YouTube rolled out living-room updates on September 23 at Made on YouTube in New York, including Shorts Series, which puts episodic Creator Shows inside the Shorts experience on TV.

The platform said microdrama watch time on YouTube is up 90 percent year over year. Creators who sell serialized microdrama can use channel memberships, offering some episodes free and locking later chapters for members.

Kinigra Deon is among the creators YouTube cited as a large player in the format.

Kurt Wilms, YouTube's director of product for the living room, said the team initially pushed Shorts to TV screens so the app would not feel broken on big displays. Viewership surprised them. "The first thing everyone was telling me about Shorts on the TV is there was no good way to watch this content with friends or family," he said. "The TV unlocked communal viewing for Shorts in a way that just wasn't possible before."

Dina Berrada, senior director of product for Shorts, said bite-sized personalized entertainment is working across screens. "Overall, we see a lot of success of bite-sized content that can be personalized to your taste," she said.

YouTube also moved Posts into the Shorts feed on TV and added voice control for leaving comments from the couch. Wilms said the share of viewers reading comments on TV is approaching the level on web.