YouTube is making a bigger push into microdramas, with plans to bring short episodic content from phones to TV screens.
At its Made on YouTube 2026 event in New York, the platform introduced Shorts Series, a new feature designed to bring episodic storytelling to YouTube Shorts on TVs. The move comes as watch time for this type of content has grown 90% year over year.
YouTube initially wasn't sure viewers would watch Shorts on television, but the company says adoption exceeded expectations. According to YouTube, TV screens have also made Shorts more social, allowing friends and families to watch short-form content together.
The company now sees microdramas as a major opportunity. Instead of requiring viewers to subscribe to separate streaming apps, creators can distribute episodic content directly through YouTube's massive audience.
Creators will also be able to monetize microdramas through channel memberships, potentially offering some episodes for free while reserving additional episodes for paying members.
YouTube is also expanding other TV features, including Posts in the Shorts feed, comment viewing and the ability to post comments using voice controls.