X to launch video-focused Smart TV app to rival YouTube

Elon Musk‘s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, plans to launch a long-form focused video app for Amazon and Samsung Smart TVs to rival YouTube.

Source: X

US business trade Fortune has reported X will launch the Smart TV app next week which looks “identical” to YouTube TV app, according to a source.

The unknown source told Fortune, Musk aims for users to watch “long videos on a bigger screen” as part of the move, with the tech mogul “set on competing with YouTube”.

Musk first announced his plans to launch a video app for smart TVs in June.

According to audience research outfit Nielsen, YouTube was the top streaming service in the US for 12 consecutive months.

X describes itself as video-first platform, with reportedly people watching video in 8 out of 10 user sessions.

Since Musk’s takeover of X in 2022, the platform has launched the Immersive Video capability which currently has over 100 million daily users, according to the company. It enabled long-form video uploads, with videos extended to 30 minutes or longer. It also launched new features like audio and video calling.

Musk confirmed the news on X, in a post where he said “coming soon”. The sources also revealed Musk also aims to compete with other leading social media services such as Twitch and Reddit.