YouTube introduces AI upscaling and enhanced TV viewing features

YouTube unveiled five features on October 29, 2025, designed to enhance content quality and shopping capabilities on television screens. The announcement, shared by Kurt Wilms, Senior Director of Product Management for YouTube on TV, targets the platform's fastest-growing viewing environment.

According to the blog post, Australian viewers rank YouTube as the number one platform for streaming video content, outperforming all competitors in recent Kantar research. This positioning underscores the strategic importance of television optimization as viewing habits shift from traditional screens to living room displays.

Enhanced thumbnail quality and upload capacity

The platform will expand thumbnail file limits from 2MB to 50MB, enabling generation and delivery of 4K-resolution thumbnails for creator videos. Testing of larger video uploads with select creators has begun to support higher quality original content uploads.

These technical specifications represent a 25-fold increase in thumbnail file size capacity. The expansion addresses quality degradation issues that occur when lower-resolution images display on high-definition television screens.

AI-powered video resolution enhancement

YouTube introduced an automated feature that generates higher resolutions for videos uploaded below 1080p. The system upscales content from standard definition to high definition, with plans to support resolutions up to 4K.

"We're starting with videos uploaded below 1080p, upscaling them from SD to HD, with the goal to support resolutions up to 4K in the near future," according to the announcement. Viewers retain the ability to watch content in original uploaded resolution, as the enhanced version appears clearly labeled under settings as "super resolution."

According to the YouTube Help documentation, the platform may automatically apply visual and audio enhancements to improve viewing experience. These enhancements can include brightness or color adjustments, increased video clarity and sharpness, and the new Super Resolution feature that uses technology to make low resolution uploads appear as if filmed in HD.

Creators maintain complete control over their libraries. Both original files and original video resolution remain intact, with a clear option to opt-out of these enhancements through settings in YouTube Studio on computers. The setting affects future uploads but does not modify previously uploaded videos.

Viewers can toggle between increased video quality with Super Resolution and the original upload resolution through video quality settings. According to platform documentation, individual accessibility settings may take precedence in some cases to ensure every viewer can watch and hear content.

Immersive channel previews and contextual search

The platform introduced immersive channel previews on the homepage, allowing viewers to see and navigate through favorite YouTube channels. The Shows design helps creators organize videos into collections optimized for living room viewing.

Contextual search functionality received updates for television interfaces. When a viewer initiates a search from a creator's channel page, videos from that specific channel appear prioritized at the top of results instead of mixing with content from across all of YouTube.

This search modification addresses content discovery challenges where channel-specific queries previously returned platform-wide results. The change benefits both viewers seeking specific creator content and creators wanting to improve discoverability within their existing audience.

QR code shopping integration for television viewers

YouTube viewers watched 35 billion hours of shopping-related videos over the past 12 months, with increasing consumption occurring in living rooms. On tagged shopping videos, viewers can scan a shopping QR code to instantly open product pages on mobile phones.

The platform began testing the ability to feature products at specific, timed moments within videos. This temporal targeting allows products to appear when contextually relevant during video playback, potentially increasing conversion rates by presenting purchasing options during peak interest moments.

"By removing extra steps and catching the viewer's interest at the most relevant time, we're making it easier for viewers to act on their inspiration, helping creators drive conversions and grow their brands from the biggest screen in the home," according to the announcement.

YouTube has expanded shopping capabilities throughout 2025, with the platform's Culture & Trends team examining 5,000 top-purchased products from the first half of 2025. Research from SmithGeiger reveals that 43% of 14- to 24-year-olds feel more loyal toward brands they shop based on YouTube creator recommendations.

The QR code implementation builds on previous work with QR codes in non-skippable YouTube ads on connected TVthrough Display & Video 360's Instant Reserve function, announced in May 2024. The new consumer-facing QR codes differ from advertiser-controlled codes by appearing on creator content rather than paid advertisements.

Connected television growth trajectory

The television screen represents YouTube's fastest-growing surface. Platform commitment to delivering features that improve viewing experience stems from this growth pattern.

YouTube maintained the number one ranking in streaming platform viewership for 17 consecutive months as of July 2024, according to Nielsen data shared during Alphabet's Q2 2024 earnings call. Connected TV views on YouTube increased by more than 130% over the prior three years, with sports content watch time on CTV growing by 30% year-over-year.

The platform strategy emphasizes creating content once that appears optimized across all screens. "Because that's the beauty of YouTube: film and upload once, and we'll ensure content looks great on any screen," according to the announcement.

Industry research demonstrates YouTube advertisements during streaming-exclusive games were 66% more effective for brands than broadcast and cable offerings, according to EDO's 2025 NFL TV Outcomes Report. The effectiveness advantage stems from streaming platforms' technical capabilities including real-time targeting, dynamic ad insertion, and immediate conversion tracking.

Technical implementation considerations

The AI upscaling feature operates automatically but provides creator control through YouTube Studio settings on computers. Creators can access visual and audio quality enhancement settings under Channel settings, then Advanced settings.

To disable enhancements, creators check or uncheck boxes for "Let YouTube enhance visual quality" and "Let YouTube enhance audio quality" before clicking Save. These settings apply only to future uploads and do not affect advertisements or videos already uploaded to the platform.

Audio enhancements may include automatic adjustments to volume levels and sound mixing, along with Stable volume that balances the range between quiet and loud parts of videos. Viewers can turn Stable volume on or off in player settings.

Platform documentation notes that creators preferring content to look and sound as close to the original as possible now have settings providing control over the default viewing experience for their channel's content. However, viewer accessibility settings may take precedence in some cases.

Marketing implications

The updates address the increasing importance of connected television advertising, which officially surpassed combined broadcast and cable television viewing for the first time in May 2025, reaching 44.8% of total television consumption. This milestone underscores the growing importance of understanding attention dynamics within streaming environments.

Kargo's CTV campaigns measured 78% more effective at keeping viewers engaged compared to industry benchmarks, according to research from television measurement company TVision announced in August 2025. Premium inventory quality and attention-based measurement approaches gain prominence as advertiser investment shifts toward streaming platforms.

The shopping features align with broader industry trends. YouTube launched Shopping Product Stickers for Shorts creators globally on June 17, 2025, and Google unveiled Shoppable Masthead and other commerce-focused advertising formats at Think Week 2025 on September 10, 2025.

For creators, the quality improvements provide opportunities to present older content to television audiences without remastering. The automated nature of Super Resolution means catalog content gains immediate benefits from the enhancement technology.

Brands working with creators should evaluate how enhanced video quality affects production standards and partnership agreements. The 50MB thumbnail limit allows for higher-quality creative assets that maintain clarity on large television displays.

The temporal product placement testing represents a significant development in shoppable content. Rather than presenting products throughout entire videos, the technology enables precision targeting of purchase opportunities during moments of peak viewer interest. This approach could improve conversion rates while reducing distraction from content.

Timeline

• March 22, 2022 – Showcase Shopping ads announced for Google Images, Discover, and YouTube
• March 30, 2022 – Google deprecates TrueView for shopping in DV360
• May 29, 2024 – QR codes in non-skippable YouTube ads on CTV announced
• July 24, 2024 – YouTube streaming dominance in Q2 2024 revealed
• August 18, 2024 – YouTube expands fewer, longer ad breaks on CTVs
• September 14, 2024 – YouTube expands First Position ad targeting to all content
• May 11, 2025 – YouTube reveals Creator Essentials package for brand collaborations
• June 17, 2025 – YouTube follow-on views optimization launches in Demand Gen campaigns
• July 13, 2025 – YouTube and 4S behaviors redefine marketing strategies
• August 12, 2025 – YouTube Promote challenges Google Ads with enhanced targeting
• August 20, 2025 – Kargo CTV campaigns achieve 78% higher attention than industry standards
• September 5, 2025 – Google expands Web to App Connect across multiple campaign types including YouTube
• September 5, 2025 – YouTube streams first free NFL game globally
• September 10, 2025 – Kargo CTV formats achieve 88% longer attention than YouTube ads
• October 16, 2025 – YouTube unveils shopping ecosystem data with 5,000 products analyzed
• October 29, 2025 – YouTube announces five new features for TV screens including AI upscaling and QR code shopping

Summary

Who: YouTube announced the updates through Kurt Wilms, Senior Director of Product Management for YouTube on TV, affecting content creators, viewers, advertisers, and marketing professionals using the platform for brand partnerships and shopping integration.

What: Five features launched for television viewing: thumbnail file limit expansion from 2MB to 50MB enabling 4K-resolution thumbnails, AI-powered Super Resolution upscaling videos below 1080p to HD with future 4K support, immersive channel previews with updated Shows design, contextual search prioritizing creator content from channel pages, and QR code shopping with timed product placement testing.

When: The announcement occurred on October 29, 2025, with features rolling out to the platform. Thumbnail expansion and testing of larger uploads with select creators has begun. Super Resolution for sub-1080p videos starts immediately with 4K support planned for the near future. QR code shopping and timed product placement entered testing phase.

Where: Features apply to YouTube's television viewing experience, the platform's fastest-growing surface. Implementation spans connected TV devices, smart TVs, and streaming platforms where YouTube content appears on television screens. Creator controls operate through YouTube Studio on computers, while viewer settings function within television interfaces.

Why: The updates address YouTube's position as the number one streaming platform according to Australian viewer rankings in Kantar research, with 35 billion hours of shopping-related videos watched over 12 months and growing consumption in living rooms. Connected TV views increased more than 130% over three years. The platform aims to ensure content looks great on any screen while helping creators drive conversions and grow brands from the biggest screen in homes.