YouTube Targets Early 2027 for AV2 Streams on the Web
YouTube has confirmed it will begin streaming in AV2 on the web as soon as early 2027, according to Des Keane, Engineering Director at YouTube. AV2 is the royalty-free successor to AV1, and AOMedia says it offers roughly 30% better compression. For anyone working in video delivery, that gap matters: it can translate into sharper footage at the same bitrate or equal quality using less bandwidth. The codec also adds support for multi-stream and multi-view video, higher frame rates and improved HDR, which opens new possibilities for creators and streaming engineers. Chrome is the other half of the equation. Jim Bankoski, VP of Engineering for Google Chrome, said AV2 playback has been demonstrated in the browser, but no version or default rollout has been confirmed. Netflix, Prime Video, Meta and Intel are also involved in different ways. Worth watching for anyone planning codec roadmaps.
Key points
- What happened YouTube says it will begin streaming in AV2, the royalty-free successor to AV1, with web streams as soon as early 2027.
- The key detail AOMedia says AV2 offers roughly 30% better compression, plus multi-view video, higher frame rates and improved HDR.
- Why it matters Better compression means sharper video at the same bitrate or the same quality with less bandwidth. Chrome support is still unconfirmed.