Substack today announced its Substack TV app for Apple TV, which brings video posts and livestreams from the publications users are subscribed to. Here are the details.
Substack leans further into video
While Substack is best known as a newsletter platform (with its occasional controversies), it has expanded in recent years to offer social features and multimedia features, including video.
In practice, creators can publish standalone videos in addition to their written content, and these can range from lectures and interviews to explainers and short documentaries, with support for both free previews and paywalled access.
Today, the company announced the Substack TV app in beta for Apple TV, letting subscribers watch video posts and livestreams from the publications they follow directly on their TVs.
The app also features a “For You” section that highlights videos from subscriptions alongside recommended content.
Here’s Zach Taylor, a Product Manager at Substack, on the new app:
Today we’re launching the Substack TV app for Apple TV and Google TV. Substack is the home for the best longform—work creators put real care into and subscribers choose to spend time with. Now these thought-provoking videos and livestreams have a natural home on the TV, where subscribers can settle in for the extended viewing that great video deserves.
And here’s how Substack explains the app’s current functionalities in more detail:
- Watch video posts and livestreams from the creators and publications they’re subscribed to
- Browse a “For You” row that highlights videos from their subscriptions, plus recommended videos
- Open a dedicated page for each subscription to explore more videos from a specific publication
Substack says the app is available to both free and paid subscribers, with content access tied to their subscription level. The company also says paid content previews for free subscribers are coming soon, in addition to:
- Audio posts and read-alouds
- Search and improved discovery
- In-app upgrades to paid subscriptions
- Sections for different shows from one publication
Announcement draws immediate backlash
Based on the comments posted on Substack’s announcement, creators and subscribers seem unhappy with the news. The vast majority of the comments are negative, with multiple users decrying the platform’s efforts to pivot, or at least lean more heavily, into video.
So far, Substack hasn’t commented on the pushback.
To learn more about the new Substack TV app, follow this link.
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