YouTube Focusing on Larger Screens: New Opportunities for Law Firms

The New Reality: YouTube Is Becoming a TV-First Platform

For years, law firms investing in digital marketing have followed the industry standard: mobile-first content. But YouTube’s latest announcement is a move in the opposite direction—toward television.

While social media ads, websites, and search engines have historically moved toward mobile-first strategies, YouTube is leaning into its role as a dominant force in home entertainment. In a recent post on YouTube’s official blog, the CEO, Neal Mohan, outlined their major initiatives for 2025, with TV taking center stage. The trend moving them towards TV is that more people are watching YouTube on their televisions than ever before, and YouTube is prioritizing these larger screens as a result.

One likely reason? The rising cost of traditional streaming services. Platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ continue to raise subscription prices, making ad-supported content a more attractive option for viewers. YouTube, which offers a free experience alongside its paid subscriptions, is well-positioned to capture audiences who are frustrated with expensive streaming services.

Even short-form content, much like TikToks and Reels, are moving beyond mobile. YouTube reports that users are watching YouTube Shorts on their TVs—something that would have been unheard of just a few years ago. This is particularly relevant for attorneys using short-form content platforms for client engagement.

As mentioned in our previous blog post, if a TikTok ban happens, YouTube could be the next best platform for short-form legal content to attract potential clients.

TV First Means Studio-Quality Video

YouTube is setting new expectations for content quality. Instead of low-production videos filmed on smartphones and laptops, the platform is leaning toward studio-level production to match the higher quality videos that more content creators are publishing on YouTube. They describe this change as making content more suitable for living-room environments.

For law firms, this means that professionally produced videos will play a bigger role in client engagement. Attorneys who want to build trust and authority should consider the benefits of investing in professional production. Whether through podcasts, thought leadership videos, or in-depth client education, higher-quality content is quickly becoming the new standard on YouTube. As content creators continue to create content for the legal niche, the opportunities for sponsorships or other collaborations are opening doors to law firms wanting to target people watching this content. Whether the content is generally about law, or more specifically about legal issues in a particular location, law firms can take advantage of advertising on these channels who have a strong viewership from potential clients.

TSEG has already seen the impact of this trend. Our video ad placements on Law & Crime, one of the most influential legal podcasts, have generated strong engagement and high-value cases. This campaign was so effective that it won the 2025 Golden Gavel Award for Best Podcast/Webisode. Read more about our award-winning campaign here, or watch the full video below.

AI Tools to Help Law Firm Video Production

Creating professional-quality video used to require expensive equipment and a dedicated production team, but YouTube’s own AI tools are making the process more accessible. These features aim to help law firms produce polished content faster and with less effort.

As we previously covered in our blog post titled, “YouTube’s New Features Open Doors for Legal Marketing”,  YouTube has introduced several AI-powered tools designed to support content creators, including:

1. Automatic dubbing to translate videos into multiple languages, allowing firms to connect with non-English-speaking clients.
2. Voice cloning to generate high-quality narrations using your voice with AI and without the countless takes in a lengthy recording session.
3. AI script assistance to refine your video’s messaging and improve your channel’s overall content structure.

These tools significantly reduce the barriers to creating professional-grade videos. Law firms that adopt AI-driven production methods now will be better positioned as YouTube continues emphasizing high-quality content.

New Ad Formats Law Firms Should Know About

YouTube’s focus on TV-first content comes with new advertising formats. These ad types give law firms more ways to connect with potential clients while they’re watching on larger screens.

QR Code Ads

QR code ads make it extremely easy for viewers to take action without manually searching for a law firm’s website. A scannable code appears on the screen, allowing potential clients to instantly visit a contact page, download a resource, or schedule a consultation. This feature eliminates extra steps and keeps engagement high, and allows viewers to move the conversion point to their mobile devices where it will be ready for them to take action at a later time. The example below shows the video ad is minimized to the side to make room for the QR call-to-action.

Pause Ads

When a viewer pauses a video, the screen transforms to a layout that minimizes the video to the side and displays a large static ad as long as the video remains paused. Since this happens at a natural break in content, the ad is visible without being intrusive. This is an effective way for law firms to stay top-of-mind without interrupting the viewing experience.

Second Screen Experiences

Many people use their phones while watching YouTube on their TVs. Second Screen Experiences allow viewers to interact with ads through their mobile devices. Users merely need to open the YouTube app on their phone and tap “Connect” when prompted to seamlessly sync their viewing experience. This transforms their smartphone to a remote that controls the video queue, displays related videos and comments – and now shows information about ads as well as the point of conversion. This creates an easy way for law firms to capture leads; someone watching a legal explainer video on TV could tap their phone to learn more about a firm’s services instantly and keep the website as an open tab on their browser.

These ad formats make it easier for attorneys to turn passive viewers into engaged prospects. As YouTube expands its TV-first approach, testing these options could be a smart move for law firms looking to reach a broader audience.

Final Takeaways

YouTube’s direction is clear—TV content is no longer an afterthought. While mobile-first strategies still matter for websites and social media, attorneys who rely on YouTube for marketing need to adjust their approach.

For law firms, this means:

1. Producing high-quality, studio-level videos instead of relying on smartphone or laptop recordings.
2. Finding your target audience niches and targeting them through ads and sponsorships.
3. Using AI tools to easily create professional content faster and more efficiently.
4. Exploring new ad formats like QR codes and pause ads to connect with potential clients.

TSEG has already helped law firms succeed on YouTube through strategic ad placements, award-winning podcast campaigns, and cutting-edge video marketing strategies. As YouTube moves toward TV-first content, our expertise in legal marketing ensures that attorneys stay ahead of these changes. Law firms that take action now will be in the best position to turn YouTube’s latest updates into new client opportunities.