Reddit Introduces a New “Video Reddit” Experience
Reddit is stepping into the future with its innovative “video Reddit” feature, allowing users to engage with popular stories in a dynamic and immersive way. This new experience lets users listen to Reddit posts in the background while multitasking, marking a significant shift in how content is consumed on the platform. Starting Monday, Reddit will initiate tests of this feature, featuring both video and audio formats across select communities. The aim is to discover which types of posts resonate most with users and have the potential for broader scalability.
CEO Insights and Market Demand
During Reddit’s second-quarter earnings call in July, CEO Steve Huffman highlighted the growing trend of content consumption across social media platforms. He noted that users are already enjoying narrated Reddit content on platforms like TikTok and Meta’s Reels, where popular stories are often transformed through text-to-speech features or read aloud by creators. Some of these adaptations include visual elements, like gameplay or cooking videos, which further enhance the storytelling experience.
Screenshot of TikTok’s Reddit stories
Image Credits:TikTok screenshot
Testing New Formats for Enhanced User Engagement
Huffman went on to explain that there is an emerging genre of content elsewhere on the internet that resembles “podcasts” where users read Reddit content. He expressed his belief that this approach—listening to or engaging with spoken Reddit—can provide a captivating experience for users.
According to Reddit, the initial tests will be experimental, aimed at understanding how these audio and video formats can serve users effectively while maintaining authenticity to the Reddit community. When the option is available, users will have the flexibility to “read” or “play” a post.
The trial will focus on select English-language posts and will be accessible via Reddit’s iOS and Android apps. Importantly, these new formats will not replace traditional text-only posts. Instead, they will coexist, allowing users to choose their preferred method of engagement—be it audio, video, or text—while enjoying content during activities like exercising or running errands.
A History of Video Experiments at Reddit
This is not Reddit’s first venture into the realm of video content. In preceding years, the company rolled out native video hosting and piloted various formats resembling a TikTok-style video feed. More recently, Reddit also introduced support for video comments, which now make up over 10% of all video submissions on the platform.
For those interested in exploring this latest development further, you can find more information here.
Image Credit: techcrunch.com
