Exclusive Video Interview: Why YouTube’s “Lean Back” Matters

SAN BRUNO, CA — In anticipation of the launch of Google TV this fall, YouTube introduced its new living room play “YouTube Lean Back” yesterday.

The service is available in beta online and will be built into Google TV. I landed an exclusive video interview with YouTube’s interface designer Julian Frumar yesterday and he discussed the company’s plans to expand Lean Back beyond Google TV and into devices from consumer electronics manufacturers.

In addition to the partnership opportunities, Lean Back is also designed to be a simpler way to watch YouTube videos on the TV. The service is more intuitive and can recommend personalized videos for users. It can be used in a browser or via a connected TV. Users navigate solely with the keyboard’s arrow keys.

When I checked it out online this morning, YouTube delivered lots of silly cat videos for me. Guess the site really does know what I like!

Daisy Whitney, Senior Producer

By Daisy Whitney on July 8, 2010 @daisywhitney

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Exclusive Video Interview: Why YouTube’s “Lean Back” Matters

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