YouTube wants you to watch more news on its app

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While most social media platforms are trying to figure out their stance on news content, YouTube is making its move. Unlike Meta, which is playing it safe and steering clear of hard news, YouTube has decided to embrace it head-on.

And this is happening even when folks like Elon Musk are giving the cold shoulder to traditional “legacy” media.

So, what’s YouTube’s game plan?

They’re launching a new “immersive watch page experience” on mobile that’ll suggest more news content to users. Plus, they’re investing a cool $1.6 million to boost the production of news content for Shorts, their short-form video service.

Here’s how it works: When you open a video marked with a newspaper icon, you’ll see a bunch of related long-form videos, live streams, podcasts, and Shorts videos.

So, if you’re watching a PBS video about floods in Pakistan, YouTube will line up more videos about the same topic from major news publishers like The Associated Press, Sky News, and CBS Evening News.

Initially, this feature will be available on mobile in about 40 countries, with plans to expand it to desktop and living room interfaces down the line.

But YouTube’s not stopping there. They’re also committing $1.6 million to promote the creation of Shorts news content, collaborating with over 20 organizations across ten countries.

All this is happening at a time when other platforms are showing reluctance to engage with traditional news content.

For instance, Meta has made it clear it doesn’t plan to actively promote news content on Threads. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has said they won’t recommend news content unless users specifically seek it out.

In a nutshell, YouTube’s decision to embrace news content from authoritative sources is a significant shift in the social media landscape.

By doing so, they’re setting a potential new standard for how social media platforms handle news content. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.