YouTube is expanding its Jump Ahead feature to its TV app, allowing Premium users to skip straight to the most interesting parts of a video. Previously, this feature was only available on web platforms and mobile devices.
Using artificial intelligence (AI), Jump Ahead will analyze users' viewing habits to identify frequently skipped parts of a video, including sponsored ads and less relevant segments. The feature is designed to improve the viewing experience by taking viewers directly to more relevant parts.
On mobile devices, users need to press a special button to use this function. However, on the TV version, a dot-shaped marker will appear on the fast-forward bar as an indicator of popular parts. When the user presses the button on the remote control, the dot will be swiped and pressing it again will allow the video to skip to the desired part.
Before the introduction of Jump Ahead, users could only skip forward a few seconds by double-tapping, while the waveform icon provided by YouTube was not user-friendly for identifying important parts of the video. According to sources, the Jump Ahead feature is being offered in stages and is starting to be available on various devices including smart TVs.