Elon Musk’s X has entered the streaming wars and is determined to position X as a formidable rival to YouTube. In a direct move to bolster this ambition, Musk himself reached out to MrBeast, the most popular content creator on YouTube, urging him to begin sharing complete videos on the platform previously recognized as Twitter.
This initiative underscores Musk’s commitment to transforming X into a hub for video content. Earlier in the year, X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, announced the platform’s strategic shift towards prioritizing video, declaring X as evolving into a “video-first” platform.
The X TV app beta is now available on several app stores, with more platforms on the way
— Engineering (@XEng) September 3, 2024
Paired with our upcoming Video Tab, this marks a massive leap forward in transforming X into a video-first platform and unlocking new opportunities for creators, advertisers, and our… pic.twitter.com/1P72feD4Fd
Advancing further in its commitment to video content, X is now launching a specialized smart TV application designed exclusively for the consumption of videos uploaded to the platform. This development marks a significant step in X’s transition towards becoming a central destination for video viewing, reflecting its efforts to expand its video content ecosystem and enhance user engagement through larger screen formats.
Elon Musk took to X on Monday evening to announce the release of the beta version of X TV, signaling a strategic shift towards video content on the platform.
X TV: Musk Embraces Video-Centric Strategy
The initial public version of the X TV application has been made available, allowing users to download and install it through the smart TV iterations of Google Play, Amazon’s Appstore, and LG’s content store. However, the X TV app has not yet made its debut on Apple TV or within the Apple App Store for tvOS.
The X TV app provides users with the capability to explore and view videos uploaded to X, in addition to accessing live stream content available on the platform. To utilize the TV app, users are required to log in with their X account credentials.
Before the introduction of the X TV app, the only method for watching X’s video content on a television screen was by casting the videos from a secondary device, such as an iPhone or Android smartphone.
Elon Musk envisions X as a multifaceted platform. His ambitions extend beyond its origins as a social media service; he aims to transform the platform, once known as Twitter, into a comprehensive “everything” app, incorporating features like banking services.
While the integration of financial services is still in the works, video posting is already a feature actively used by X’s current user base, making the X TV app a natural extension of the platform’s existing capabilities. However, the typical user experience on X involves watching videos in a more casual, scrolling manner within the feed.
This raises the question of whether the X TV app will alter the way users interact with video content or simply reinforce the existing patterns of consumption. The success of the X TV app in changing user behavior or its effectiveness in catering to their current viewing habits remains to be seen.
