Reddit Testing New Video and Audio Experience for Viral Posts

Reddit is developing a new video and audio format designed to let users watch video content and listen to posts in the background. Chief Executive Officer Steve Huffman discussed the initiative during the company second-quarter earnings call, revealing plans to bring narrated and visual post formats directly into the platform.

What Happened

During the second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Reddit leadership detailed an upcoming platform initiative described as a video Reddit experience. This format will support native video viewing along with background audio playback, allowing users to listen to narrated posts while performing other tasks. According to CEO Steve Huffman, the concept targets a content format already popular on third-party platforms, where creators pair text-to-speech readings of viral Reddit stories with unrelated visual clips such as cooking tutorials or video game footage.

The company also disclosed progress on recent media features, noting that video in comments, introduced in June, already represents more than 10 percent of all video posts created on the platform.

Key Highlights

• Reddit is developing a dedicated video experience that includes background audio listening functionality for posts.
• The feature aims to capture the popularity of Reddit text narration content currently shared on external platforms like TikTok.
• Testing for the new media format is scheduled to begin later this year.
• Video capabilities in comment sections, launched in June, now account for over 10 percent of Reddit video posts.
• The move comes as major platforms including Facebook, Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, HBO Max, Amazon, and LinkedIn incorporate short video feeds.

Why This Matters

The development addresses a shift in how internet users consume online stories. On TikTok alone, hashtags such as #reddit and #redditstories have accumulated tens of millions of posts featuring audio readings of threads published on Reddit. By creating a native listening and viewing experience, Reddit aims to provide a spoken format within its own ecosystem rather than relying on external creators to redistribute its text-based content.

What to Watch Next

Reddit plans to make the new video and audio format available for testing later this year. Further details regarding how the features will be integrated into the primary app are expected during the testing phase.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the new Reddit video feature be available?

Reddit plans to make the new video and audio experience available for testing later this year.

What is the background listening feature on Reddit?

The feature will allow users to listen to spoken or narrated versions of Reddit posts in the background, offering a podcast-like format for consuming content.

Source: TechCrunch