This is very hard to understand.
A serious question - does Google really just not give a hoot about it?
How can the service be this bad?
> How can the service be this bad?
I find myself wondering this about Google services all the time. Hangouts on the web often develops bugs with contact importing and then it doesn't get fixed for days or weeks.
On this topic, it's potentially more nefarious: PS4 competes against Chromecast, Android TV, TVs with Android built-in, and (more recently) Stadia. Because YouTube is a near-monopoly, Google probably benefits from making it look like a second-tier system that isn't a high priority.
No web video consumer can stop using YouTube without losing a ton of content, but it's easy to switch to a different system for watching on your TV.