YouTube's next big video upgrade: AV2 could cut bandwidth use by 30 % in 2027

YouTube could start streaming videos in AV2 as early as 2027. The new codec promises around 30 % better compression efficiency than the current AV1 standard, potentially delivering the same image quality at a lower bitrate or improving quality without increasing bandwidth requirements. In other words, the upgrade could allow YouTube to deliver higher-quality video over slower internet connections.

The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) reported progress on AV2 adoption just four months after finalizing the codec's specification. YouTube is already well along in its adoption of the previous generation AV1: according to YouTube Engineering Director Des Keane, more than 90 % of the platform's catalog, measured by watch time, was available in AV1 as of March 2026. AV2 is the next step, with support for features such as higher frame rates, HDR and multi-view video.

Google has also demonstrated AV2 playback in Chrome, although it has yet to announce when the codec will become available in stable versions of the browser. Jim Bankoski, Google's VP of Engineering for Chrome, said the codec could enable new web experiences, including more efficient video conferencing and improved multi-view playback.

Intel is also involved in developing SVT-AV2, a software implementation of the codec, building on its earlier work on AV1. Meta has indicated that it intends to continue supporting open video codecs and bring AV2 to its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

However, widespread adoption will depend in part on hardware support. Hardware-accelerated AV2 decoding could improve playback efficiency, particularly on mobile devices, but AOMedia has not announced a timeline for AV2 support in consumer CPUs and GPUs. YouTube's reported 2027 target concerns web streaming, and no rollout schedule has been announced for its mobile apps or smart-TVs.