The Play Report will feature a rotating cast of hosts including Google employees and popular YouTube creators. Each 15-60 second episode will focus on one app or game, with the host giving a brief overview of what it does and their thoughts on it.
These Shorts videos will appear prominently at the top of the Play Store as a carousel, giving them high visibility to browsing users. The install button will be featured on each video to allow for seamless downloading of the app being highlighted.
The goal of The Play Report is to help surface hidden gem apps and games that users might not otherwise come across. With so many titles in the Play Store, it can be hard for lesser-known ones to get noticed. This editorial video series aims to change that.
For those not seeing the new Shorts carousel yet, Google is starting to pilot it in the US first before expanding it globally. The same Shorts will also be shared on Google Play's YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, widening their reach.
The Play Report provides an innovative new way for app developers to get their apps discovered. And for users, it's a convenient way to find fun new apps to try out each week. Short-form vertical video is a smart format choice by Google to match current viewing habits on mobile devices.