YouTube Plans to Introduce AV2 Video Streaming in 2027 – Mezha

YouTube Plans to Introduce AV2 Video Streaming in 2027  Mezha

YouTube could begin streaming videos using the AV2 codec as early as 2027. The new video codec delivers approximately 30% more efficient compression than AV1, potentially allowing higher-quality video at lower bitrates and smoother playback on slower internet connections.YouTube CTO Des Keane made the statement in comments accompanying an AOMedia announcement. The streaming platform has made significant progress in adopting AV1: as of March 2026, more than 90% of its catalog, measured by watch time, was available in AV1. AV2, introduced in June 2026, represents the next step, with support for higher frame rates, improved HDR, multistream video, and multiple camera angles.YouTube's stated target for 2027 applies to its web version. No rollout schedule has been announced for mobile apps or smart TVs.Google demonstrated AV2 playback in Chrome at CES 2026, although it has not yet announced when the codec will become available in stable browser releases.

Intel is also contributing to the development of SVT-AV2, a software implementation of the codec, while continuing its work on the previous AV1 standard. Meanwhile, Meta has said it will continue supporting open video codecs and plans to adopt AV2 on Facebook and Instagram.On the hardware side, no consumer graphics card or television currently supports hardware-accelerated AV2 decoding, so early implementations will likely rely on CPUs. According to VideoLAN's estimates, the decoding process