Elon Musk continues its push for video by launching a dedicated app for smart TVs.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Musk is focusing on competing with other top streamers and video services with the X video app. The company is promoting a handful of features in the new app, including a trending video algorithm, AI-powered trending topics, and cross-device compatibility, which allows users to watch on their phones and continue watching on their smart TVs. Another incentive for users is that the X TV app will not have any ads at launch.
“We’re focusing on launching this new feature for consumers first, but we do plan to monetize it, and will discuss different forms of partnerships—and that may include ads,” a note sent to the company‘s corporate partners read on Tuesday.
X TV is another business venture by the billionaire Musk, who is surprisingly not acting as CEO of the company. Instead, former NBCUniversal advertising executive Linda Yaccarino is leading the project.
The video platform has been a key priority for X, attempting to compete with platforms like YouTube and TikTok. X TV allows users to upload their videos and has a deal with some third parties, like a multi-year deal with Range Media Partners, that hints at upcoming shows hosted by sports personality Jim Rome and former United States Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
Musk canceled Don Lemon’s show before the first episode aired after the CEO had a tense interview with the former CNN host. X also made a deal with the WWE to stream “Speed” matches once per week.
X posted a preview video of the upcoming video platform’s launch, allowing consumers to check out the video experience before adding the app to their smart TVs’ dashboard. The videos included a preview video of Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin and footage of a SpaceX rocket lifting off.
Streaming was once the golden egg for many entertainment companies looking to increase their revenue. However, streaming has proven to not be as profitable as many hoped it would be. While streaming and entertainment giants like Max, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney swim well above the surface, other smaller platforms have folded, laying off their staff as they merge or shut down after the streaming bubble popped in 2023.
YouTube and TikTok are wildly popular TV apps in the U.S., offering creatives and consumers the hit of serotonin they crave. One of the reasons these TV apps are so popular is that they mirror the interface of the phone app seamlessly without the ability to upload content. This makes it a great family-friendly choice for parents looking for child-friendly entertainment.
While Musk might be late to the game–an issue the CEO seems to be having with his other once-successful company Tesla–Musk wants to fill the void that could be left by TikTok’s imposing U.S. ban. The TikTok ban bill is currently moving through the U.S. Senate. President Joe Biden announced that he would sign the bill into law if it made it to his desk, which would give ByteDance a year to sell the company or remove it from all app stores in the U.S.
