We optimize thumbnails for phones but half our audience sits 10 feet away

This might sound simple, but I am starting to question how often we design content specifically for TV viewers.

When you design a thumbnail, you usually test how it looks on a small mobile screen. Is the text readable? Does it pop in a crowded feed? Does it stand out in search?

But what about someone watching on a 55 inch TV from across the room?

The viewing distance is different. The environment is different. Sometimes more than one person is watching. The decision to click might even be a group decision.

The same goes for calls to action. On mobile, you can say “link below” and people know what to do. On TV, there is no below. There is just a screen.

If a meaningful percentage of your audience is watching on TV, maybe our design choices need to reflect that.

Have any of you intentionally adjusted thumbnails, on-screen text size, or CTA placement with TV viewers in mind? Or do you treat YouTube as one uniform experience regardless of device?