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YouTube to Deploy AV2 Codec in Early 2027, Beginning With Its Web Player

YouTube will roll out the AV2 codec to its web version in early 2027, a format expected to be 25% to 32% more efficient than AV1, according to FlatpanelsHD.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-25 02:10

According to FlatpanelsHD, which reported the plan, YouTube confirmed the early-2027 target without giving a more specific launch date. Android Authority reported the details on October 24, 2026.

The Alliance for Open Media published the finalized AV2 specification earlier in 2026. The codec is expected to be about 25% to 32% more efficient than AV1, meaning viewers can receive higher-quality streaming at the same bitrate, or comparable quality at a lower bitrate. For YouTube, that translates into less bandwidth consumed per stream.

YouTube has also hinted that AV2 could benefit multi-view experiences, though the company has not described what those benefits would involve. The first deployment is confined to the web version of the service; YouTube has not said when, or whether, the codec will reach its mobile and television apps.

Other large streaming companies have stayed quiet on the format. Netflix, Amazon and Apple have not announced AV2 rollout plans, leaving YouTube as the only major platform with a public timeline for adoption.

The efficiency figures cited for AV2 come from the specification released by the Alliance for Open Media, the industry group that develops the codec. YouTube has not said how many viewers or which browsers would receive the AV2 stream first, nor how it will handle devices that cannot decode the format.

Editor's Summary

YouTube has said it will launch the AV2 codec on its web player in early 2027, the first major streaming platform to set a public date. The format, finalized by the Alliance for Open Media in 2026, is expected to be 25% to 32% more efficient than AV1, cutting bandwidth for the same picture quality. Netflix, Amazon and Apple have not announced their own plans.