YouTube's AI-Powered 'Jump Ahead' Feature Expands to TV Platforms

YouTube makes it easy for TV users to skip to the best bits of videos

Jess Weatherbed is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews. It seems YouTube is finally giving its TV app the AI feature that lets you skip to the most interesting parts of a video. Android Authority's Mishaal Rahman reports that the Jump Ahead perk for YouTube Premium subscribers appeared on his Nvidia Shield TV yesterday, a feature that was previously exclusive to YouTube's web and mobile platforms. Jump Ahead gives users an easy way to automatically get to the best bits of a video by using AI to analyze the most-watched segments that viewers typically skip to. YouTube started testing the feature last year before later releasing it for Premium subscribers on web and mobile, but those who prefer watching on the big screen -- which is now the primary viewing source in the US -- have been left wanting until now. Premium subscribers can activate Jump Ahead by double-tapping the fast-forward button on the video player, which then takes viewers to the next point in the video that most users view. This works differently on TVs, according to YouTube's support page, requiring users to press the right arrow on their remote to see the next most-watched section, as indicated by a dot on the progress bar. Pressing the right arrow again will then take users to that point in the video, instead of skipping ahead by ten seconds as usual. Rahman says that a message reading "Jumping over commonly skipped section" appeared when using the feature. While YouTube's support page confirms that Jump Ahead is now "available on Living Room," the scale and pace of the rollout are unclear. The feature doesn't appear to be widely available on TVs yet, and YouTube hasn't made a launch announcement. A Reddit user has reported seeing the feature appear on their Samsung TV, however, and Android Police also spotted it on a Google TV streamer. We have asked Google for clarity on the rollout.

YouTube's best Premium feature is finally coming to the big screen

Unlike on mobile and web, the TV version lets users tap their remote's fast-forward key to automatically skip to a designated point on the progress bar. YouTube is finally bringing one of its best Premium perks to the big screen. The 'Jump Ahead' feature, which lets you skip to the most interesting part of a video, is now rolling out to YouTube's TV app. First launched in May of last year for web and mobile, its absence on TVs was a notable omission, especially since nearly half of all YouTube users watch on their televisions. I discovered the change on my NVIDIA Shield TV earlier today. When I pressed my remote's fast-forward button during a certain part of a video, instead of skipping ahead 10 seconds as usual, the app automatically "jumped ahead." A message appeared in the top-right corner, noting it was "jumping over a commonly skipped section," automatically taking me to the most replayed part. This is the same 'Jump Ahead' feature that YouTube rolled out on mobile and the web last year. The service uses AI and viewing data to identify the part of the video that most viewers skip ahead to, then presents Premium subscribers with a button to fast forward to that segment. On TVs, the experience is slightly different. Instead of a dedicated button, a dot appears on the video's progress bar to indicate the most common skip point. Tapping your remote's fast-forward key again will automatically jump the video to that spot. While a YouTube support page confirms the feature is now available on "Living Room" (AKA TV) devices, the scope of the rollout is unclear. I've only seen one other user report having it, so if you've spotted the 'Jump Ahead' feature on your TV's YouTube app, let us know in the comments below!

YouTube's AI-powered "Jump Ahead" feature is now on your TV

YouTube has begun rolling out its 'Jump Ahead' feature to the YouTube application on televisions, according to Android Authority. This feature, previously available on web and mobile platforms since its launch in May of last year, is designed to enhance the viewing experience for YouTube Premium subscribers. The 'Jump Ahead' functionality employs artificial intelligence coupled with viewer data analysis. This combination allows the system to pinpoint segments within a video that are most frequently skipped by viewers. By identifying these commonly bypassed sections, YouTube aims to provide a more streamlined and engaging viewing experience, eliminating potentially uninteresting or redundant content. The implementation of 'Jump Ahead' on TVs differs slightly from its mobile and web counterparts. Instead of a dedicated button prompting users to skip ahead, the TV version incorporates a visual cue on the video's progress bar. A distinct dot appears, marking the precise point to which most viewers typically advance. This visual indicator serves as a guide, allowing viewers to easily identify and navigate to the more engaging portions of the video. A first look at the new generative AI effects in YouTube Shorts To utilize the 'Jump Ahead' feature on TVs, Premium subscribers can simply tap the fast-forward key on their remote control. This action triggers an automatic jump to the designated point on the progress bar, effectively bypassing the commonly skipped section. As the user fast-forwards, a message appears in the top-right corner, noting it is "jumping over a commonly skipped section," automatically taking them to the most replayed part. The discovery of this feature on television platforms was first noted on an NVIDIA Shield TV. During playback, pressing the remote's fast-forward button no longer resulted in the standard ten-second skip. Instead, the application executed an automated "jump ahead," bypassing a segment identified as frequently skipped. While a YouTube support page confirms the feature is now available on "Living Room" (AKA TV) devices, the scope of the rollout is unclear. Currently, the breadth of the rollout remains uncertain. Actual adoption and availability may vary across different television models and regions.