YouTube TV launches new ‘lean back’ app

YouTube is set to launch a new ‘lean back’ app for its US subscription offering, YouTube TV.

The big screen application is due to start rolling out in the coming days and will include a new live guide that will show what’s airing soon, and a “more cinematic look”.

Also new will be the ability to resume from where a viewer has left off on another device and being able to control the live TV experience from the TV remote or games console control pad.

“We know you love watching TV content on, well, your TV. In fact, over half the time spent watching YouTube TV is consumed through Chromecast on the big screen,” said Okalo Ikhena, YouTube TV product manager.

“Members who stream with a Chromecast are highly engaged, watching over four hours a day on the weekends with football season back in full swing.”

The new YouTube TV app is slated to launch in the next few days on Android TV devices – including Nvidia Shield and TVs with Android TV built-in. It will also be available on the Xbox One family of devices, initially on the Xbox One and Xbox One S.

In the coming weeks it will launch on Apple TV and on smart TVs made by manufacturers like LG, Samsung and Sony.

YouTube launched its over-the-top TV offering in March, describing it as “live TV designed for the YouTube generation”. The live channel and cloud DVR service is now available in the US’s top 50 metro areas, covering over two-thirds of the country.

Last week Sundar Pichai, the CEO of YouTube parent company Alphabet, said that the viewers now watch more than 100 million hours of YouTube in the living room every day, up 70% compared to last year.