YouTube rolled out a batch of platform updates on July 24, including desktop access to Communities, a dedicated TV destination for Shorts, and a new Shopping Affiliate programme launching in the UK.

The update reflects where YouTube is putting its resources this year: connecting creators with audiences across more surfaces, and giving vertical video a real home on the living room screen instead of just phones.

Communities Moves to Desktop

Until now, Communities, YouTube’s space for creators to post updates and host discussions with subscribers, was mostly a mobile feature. Bringing it to desktop gives creators a more practical way to manage audience engagement without switching devices.

For channels that treat their community tab as a running conversation with fans, desktop access removes a real friction point.

Shorts Gets a TV Home, Thumbnails Get Smarter

Shorts on TV is a dedicated viewing surface built for connected screens, aimed at making vertical video easier to find and watch on a television rather than feeling like a mobile-only format squeezed onto a big screen.

YouTube also expanded its thumbnail tools. Creators in the Partner Programme can now use custom Shorts thumbnails, desktop users get three suggested frame options, and Ask Studio can now generate thumbnails for long-form videos automatically.

Separately, the platform launched its Shopping Affiliate programme in the UK, opening a new revenue path for eligible creators working with participating retailers.

None of these updates is flashy on its own, but together they show YouTube quietly building infrastructure for creators who now split their work across shorts, long-form video, live discussion, and commerce.