When we launched Leanback in July we wanted to create a simple, easy-to-use YouTube interface for the big screen. Since then we’ve graduated Leanback out of TestTube, added the ability to place ads to bring in more partner videos, and launched a YouTube Remote that lets you control your YouTube Leanback experience from your Android mobile phone. In our latest iteration, we’re enhancing the video discovery experience in Leanback with a new feature called Personalized Channels.

Personalized Channels is built to tackle one of the big challenges for our users: what should I watch next? It's a bit like having your own personal video delivery butler, serving you relevant videos that reflect what you like, or find interesting. For instance, if you create a ‘fail’ channel, it will start out showing the best fail videos we can find, and then gradually start branching out to pranks, funny commercials and other related topics. It will also adjust itself based on how you interact with the videos shown and get better the more you watch and interact with them.

Here’s how it works. Start by signing in to your YouTube account and go to YouTube.com/leanback and select “Create Channels”. We’ll suggest personalized channels to you based on the videos you have watched in the past. To create a new personalized channel, choose from the suggested channels or just type in a topic, like “cooking.”

We’ve put together a short video introduction to Personalized Channels, below, to get you started.

Like all products we launch, we’re eager for you to try it out and then give us suggestions on how we can make it even better. This project is still in its early stages and your participation and feedback will help us improve it (you can let us know your thoughts in the forum). Have fun and share with us in the comments below the personalized channels that would reflect you the best.

Christina Ilvento, product manager, recently created a personalized channel around “meerkats”, and Ben Liebald, Software Engineer, recently created a personalized channel on “marathon training”.

As Conan O'Brien's crew plans for their 24-hour marathon live stream on YouTube, in what promises to be a kooky peek into life at Team Coco HQ, we thought it was best for them to tell you about it themselves. Here's Aaron Bleyaert, the blogger for the new CONAN show on TBS.

People constantly ask me questions like, "Hey, Aaron, what's it like to work at such an awesome show?" Or, "Hey, Aaron, what do you guys do all day in your offices?" Or even, "Aaron, you are incredibly handsome -- how can one man have such stunning good looks?" The answer to that last one is simple: I moisturize.

For the answer to the first two, I invite you to tune in to the massive online comedy event we're calling "The Live Coco Cam." As the word "live" implies, it will be live. And as the word "Coco" implies, it will be TOTALLY AWESOME. Starting today at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, we invite you to take a look inside the wonderfully weird offices of the brand new CONAN show as we prepare for our November 8 debut on TBS. We're shoving a camera in the second floor stairwell of our offices and will be broadcasting all of the behind-the-scenes comedy madness live for 24 hours. Here's a taste of the crazy:



Who's gonna show up? What's gonna happen? As our Live Coco Cam event unfolds, all the weird, funny and tender (yes, tender) moments will be captured and uploaded to Team Coco's official YouTube channel so you don't miss a second of the action. In addition, we'll be tweeting about the events through the day and night from our Team Coco Twitter account and will be recapping all the events after they happen (as well as after the event ends) over on our show blog at TeamCoco.com... That is, if I survive the next 24 hours. ;)

So tune in at youtube.com/teamcoco and enjoy 24 hours of Live Coco Cam antics...whatever they may be!

Aaron Bleyaert, Team Coco, recently watched "Conan O'Brien's Favorite YouTube Videos."

Summer is coming to a close here in the U.S., but that also means a renewed palette of television is around the corner. The Fall TV Preview is here to help guide you through the slate of new and returning shows from major broadcast and cable networks. Co-presented by our friends at EntertainmentWeekly, the program offers bite-sized previews of scripted shows, reality TV, comedies, dramas and more.



We’ll also be featuring a playlist of Entertainment Weekly’s latest interviews with the hottest TV stars, so you’ll be well-equipped to speculate on this season’s break-out hits and potential misses.

Fall TV Preview is live through September 13.

Mark Day, Comedy Manager, recently watched “Fall TV 2010 - 'Fringe' Part 1.”

Earlier this year, America's Got Talent turned to YouTube in its ongoing quest to find America's hottest performers. Thousands of people submitted audition videos to perform live on the show and tonight, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, you can finally see which 12 YouTube contestants made it.

There are some big dreams riding on this edition of America's Got Talent, along with a lot of support for the singers, musicians, dancers and other aspiring stars who submitted their videos with the hope of being discovered.

Good luck to all of our talented contestants and to everyone who entered the competition. And don't forget to watch the top entries on the America's Got Talent YouTube channel before tonight's broadcast!

Lee Hadlow, Marketing Program Manager, recently watched “America's Got Talent Winning Moment Season 4.”

A click here, a search there, a browse on this page -- sometimes it can take more than a few flicks of the wrist and finger taps to get your daily dose of video. Luckily, YouTube Leanback wants you to conserve your energy for actually watching more videos. Mmm...more videos...

Just as its name implies, YouTube Leanback is all about letting you sit back, relax and be entertained. Videos tailored to your interests play as soon as you visit the site and they play in full screen and high definition, continuously. There’s no need to click, search, or browse, unless you want to, of course. Watching YouTube becomes as easy as watching TV.

To see what we mean, go to www.youtube.com/leanback, and you’ll note that a selection of videos -- your “feed” -- plays immediately. This feed is based on your YouTube settings and preferences, including content from your subscriptions and videos your friends are sharing on Facebook (assuming you’ve connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account). You can also watch the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, or more. And if you don’t care for the video that’s playing, use the right arrow key on your keyboard to skip ahead to the next video, or try the up/down arrows to search, access player controls, and browse channels and videos. You won’t need your mouse for this experience.

Here’s more about how YouTube Leanback works (we’ll also show you how to hook up your Facebook account):



YouTube Leanback is currently in beta, but we’d love for you to try it out at www.youtube.com/leanback and let us know what it’s like to kick back and revel in the endless stream of YouTube entertainment!

Kuan Yong, Senior Product Manager, recently watched “Life in a day.”

The submission phase of our America's Got Talent contest has closed, and now comes the important part: Vote for your favorite YouTube performer here and one grand prize winner will perform live on the August 10 episode of the NBC show.

From the looks of it, some of YouTube’s most talented and quirky entertainers -- from upside-down piano players to accordion-playing dogs -- have entered the fray. There are 40 acts in all to choose from, and voting ends on July 4, so you only have a few days to help decide the destiny of one of these aspiring stars. Good luck to all contestants!

Sadia Harper, Howto & Style Manager, recently watched “Eulogies.”