YouTube launched a complete redesign of their site today with emphasis on social network integration and using the power of algorithms to figure out what videos you’ll like.
The redesign pushes YouTube to resemble its Google+ cousin with an activity feed in the centre, channels on the left and recommendations on the right. The channels include your YouTube subscriptions and Google+ and Facebook integration. Google+ integration is automatic, while Facebook is opt-in.
The Subscriptions feed is a huge update from how YouTube handled subscriptions. Before, YouTube would of toss a video from a channel you’ve subscribed to onto the page with other videos and send you an email. Now, uploaded videos are presented front and literally centre. The centre Subscriptions feed will present videos from producers you’re subscribed to in a manner that actually makes sense. The change could mean traffic growth for individually produced channels and major studios like HBO and CBS.
The impressive part of the Recomendations feed on the right is that, it according to YouTube, new videos will appear based upon your current subscriptions and videos you’ve watched. It’s basically a discovery engine for videos.
Videos that are popular and trending have been moved down the left column to make way for YouTube’s new focus on social networking. Not everyone seems to have the redesign just yet, but it’s rolling out now. [YouTube via TechCrunch]