A new web app called Channel Surfer is giving YouTube a surprisingly nostalgic twist: it lets you watch videos the way people used to watch cable TV, by flipping through channels and jumping into whatever’s already on. Built by London-based developer Steven Irby, the app looks and feels like a retro TV guide, turning modern YouTube content into an experience that’s closer to old-school channel surfing than endless scrolling.
Instead of opening YouTube and getting pulled into algorithm-driven recommendations, Channel Surfer presents a lineup of topic-based “channels.” You browse the guide, pick a channel, and “tune in” as if it were live television. When you switch channels, you don’t start at the beginning of a video—you join mid-stream, just like changing the channel while a show is already in progress. The guide also shows what’s coming up next across the lineup, complete with times, and you can scroll ahead to preview programming scheduled for the next 24 hours.
At launch, Channel Surfer includes 40 custom-built channels covering a wide range of interests. There are broad categories like news, politics, sports, and lifestyle, along with music-focused channels. There’s also a strong tech lineup for viewers who want something more specific, with channels such as AI & ML, Code & Dev, Space, Retro Tech, Tech & Gadgets, and Gaming.
The whole concept taps into a viewing style that’s become popular again thanks to free streaming platforms that mimic “live TV” with scheduled lineups. But Channel Surfer applies that familiar format to YouTube, which continues to be one of the biggest forces in TV streaming—especially for people who watch on their televisions instead of their phones.
One small touch adds to the “watching together” vibe: a counter at the bottom of the screen shows how many other people are currently tuned in with you. For Irby, that shared experience is part of the charm, along with the relief of not having to constantly choose what to watch next.
Irby created Channel Surfer because he wanted a break from algorithm-heavy feeds and the decision fatigue that comes with endless options. The goal is to make YouTube feel effortless again—sit down, flip around, and let the programming decide for you. It’s also inspired by a very relatable contrast: some people still love traditional channel-based TV, and Channel Surfer aims to bring that simplicity to a world dominated by on-demand video.
The early response suggests the idea is landing. Irby says the site passed 10,000 views on its first day, a strong sign that plenty of people are hungry for something different from the standard YouTube experience.
Behind the scenes, Channel Surfer is currently a straightforward build: a static Next.js site using PartyKit and hosted on Cloudflare. The available channels and music playlists are curated by Irby himself, and a daily script refreshes the data. There isn’t a full backend yet. He also notes that AI helped during development, but the project wasn’t thrown together as “vibe coding”—it’s designed to work and to last.
Because Channel Surfer relies on YouTube embeds, it plays videos in a way that still includes YouTube’s own ads, which helps it stay aligned with platform rules. Looking ahead, Irby says he’d love to expand beyond the browser and bring the experience to TV platforms like Fire TV and Google TV. The app already runs on mobile devices and tablets, though it still needs polish in those formats.
Channel Surfer is free at launch and currently offers access to 175 YouTube channels and 25 music playlists. For people who want something more personal, there’s an optional way to import your own YouTube subscriptions. The process is intentionally simple and a bit old-school: you drag a Channel Surfer bookmarklet into your bookmarks bar, open your YouTube subscriptions, click the bookmarklet, then copy and paste the generated JSON back into Channel Surfer to import your channels. Once added, your personal subscriptions become part of the lineup, expanding your channel guide dramatically.
Beyond the features, Channel Surfer is also a statement about the kind of internet Irby wants to see more of—playful, creative, and built for fun, not just for engagement metrics. In a web filled with repetitive content, Channel Surfer leans into a retro idea and makes it feel fresh again: a simple way to discover YouTube videos without overthinking, over-scrolling, or letting an algorithm run the show.
