From this preview to a real app
Channel to TV App only shows a preview. Nothing is created or published, and nothing changes on your YouTube channel: pasting a channel here does not launch an app. To launch a real one:
- Sign up for OTTEngine. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
- Upload your videos. A real app plays the videos you upload to OTTEngine. The preview only reads your channel's public details from YouTube and copies no videos. If you have a large library, our team can help.
- Arrange your app. In the dashboard you group your videos into rows and menus and choose the layout, colours and fonts. One dashboard runs every platform, so a change reaches all your apps.
- OTTEngine builds and submits it. OTTEngine builds, submits and maintains each store app under a developer account in your name, so the app and its listing belong to you. Each store reviews the app before it goes live.
What the preview shows
Channel to TV App reads your channel's public details and draws them in the frame you pick: a TV screen (an app looks the same on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV), a phone for iPhone and Android, or a browser window for the web. The menus and tabs in the picture work, so you can click through the screens.
It is a mock-up, not your finished app. The real app uses the rows, artwork, colours and fonts you choose, and it can carry videos that are not on YouTube as well.
Every platform from one channel
- Roku: your own channel in the Roku Streaming Store.
- Amazon Fire TV: an app in the Amazon Appstore.
- Apple TV: a tvOS app on the App Store.
- Android TV: an app for Google TV and Android TV sets on Google Play.
- iPhone and iPad and Android phones and tablets: mobile apps with the same catalog.
- Web: your own streaming site in any browser.
OTTEngine also publishes apps for Samsung and LG smart TVs, which this preview does not draw.
Keep YouTube, add an app of your own
Most creators keep growing their audience on YouTube and give their most engaged viewers an app they own, with the subscriptions or ads and the viewer relationship under their control. See how OTTEngine works for creators.
How to use Channel to TV App
- Paste your channel. Enter your channel's address, its @handle or its channel id, and choose Show my app.
- Pick TV, Mobile or Web. The same channel is drawn for that screen. The page's address keeps your channel and choice, so the link opens the same preview for anyone you send it to.
- Launch the real app. The preview publishes nothing. Start a 7-day free trial of OTTEngine, upload your videos and arrange the app; OTTEngine then builds it and submits it to each store you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn my YouTube channel into a Roku channel?
Yes, but not from this page: the tool only shows a preview, and nothing is created or published. To launch a Roku channel, sign up for OTTEngine, upload your videos and arrange the app in the dashboard. OTTEngine then builds, submits and maintains the channel under a Roku developer account in your name, so the listing belongs to you, and Roku reviews it before viewers can add it from the Roku Streaming Store. The same videos can also feed apps on Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android and the web.
How do I make a TV app from my YouTube videos?
Preview it with the tool above, then start a 7-day free trial of OTTEngine and upload your videos. In the dashboard you arrange them into rows and menus and choose the look, and OTTEngine builds the app and submits it to each store you pick. No coding is needed.
Do I need to re-upload my videos?
Yes. The preview only reads your channel's public details from YouTube to draw the picture, and it copies no videos. A real app plays the videos you upload to OTTEngine, so you upload them there. If you have a large library, our team can help. Your YouTube channel stays exactly as it is.
How much does it cost?
Channel to TV App is free. Publishing the apps needs an OTTEngine plan. Plans differ in how many platforms, how much storage and how much watch time they include, and the current prices are on the pricing page. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, which is how you try OTTEngine before you pay, as there is no money-back guarantee. Some stores also charge their own developer fee, such as Apple's $99 a year.
Is the preview my real app?
No. It is a mock-up drawn from your channel's public details, to show how the app would look, and it is not affiliated with YouTube or with the channel. Nothing is created or published. Your real app uses the videos you upload and the rows, artwork, colours and fonts you choose.
Which platforms can I preview?
Three: a TV app, which looks the same on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV; a phone app for iPhone and Android; and a website. OTTEngine also publishes apps for Samsung and LG smart TVs.
What happens to the channel I type?
The tool sends it to OTTEngine, which looks up the channel's public details through the YouTube API Services to draw the picture. You do not sign in, and nothing on the channel changes. Our privacy policy has the details.