YouTube picks up velocity in the direction of vertical video

August 1, 2018

So, the latest news is that the Video Giant now caters for vertical video. More specifically, the desktop player automatically adjusts the video’s aspect ratio to suit a computer’s screen size. So, whether your video is 16:9, vertical, or 4:3, YouTube aren’t going to frame any videos on its website with unappealing black rectangles anymore – result!

Yes, a lot of us use the YouTube app for watching video content – it’s a pretty good app. But, as much as we love an app, websites are still very much in use, even on mobile.

With the tech world now predominantly mobile-first, this makes complete sense. You only need to look to what Instagram’s doing with vertical video. Their features for the format include the long-established organic Stories, vertical video ads, and the recent launch of IGTV.

This announcement goes to show that YouTube, as well as the entire tech world, are running straight for vertical video. It makes complete sense when you consider that over half of video content is viewed on mobile.

We’ve got to remember that Gen Z are growing up with Instagram and Snapchat. By supporting different aspect ratios, YouTube is making sure that it caters to the demand of the current and future video consumers.

Calling advertisers – this means that your vertical video ad efforts from Snap and Instagram could be recycled on YouTube. You can put video ads onto YouTube videos of the same aspect ratio.

What can you take away from this? What’s really important here is that the Video Giant itself is acknowledging the popularity and success of vertical video. If you’re cross-posting content from the likes of Instagram and Snapchat to YouTube, it’s now going to look a whole lot better, more integrated and intentional, as opposed to those gross black boxes which make the whole video look like a weird mistake.

Consider this – should your video content get a vertical makeover? Well, with half of video being watched on mobile, it’s worth some consideration! Have a look into who’s watching it and on which devices – it might give you a clue!

There we have it – vertical video is an ongoing trend that keeps popping up on every platform. We’re always looking forward to hearing the next developments and will be right here to keep you updated!

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