© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The new logo of Twitter is seen in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
(Reuters) – Long-form videos will soon be available on smart televisions, billionaire Elon Musk said, after Fortune magazine reported that social network X planned to launch next week a TV app for Amazon (NASDAQ:) and Samsung (KS:) users.
The platform rolled out an early version of video and audio calling for some users last October, after Musk had said he planned to turn it into a super app offering services from messaging to peer-to-peer payments.
“Coming soon,” Musk said in a brief response on X to a user’s posting that the platform’s long-form videos could be watched directly on smart TVs.
Earlier, Fortune said the app could look similar to the TV app offered by Google (NASDAQ:)’s Youtube. It cited an unidentified source as saying Musk was set on competing with YouTube.
X did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further details on the app.
In the push to become a “video-first platform”, X has been forging partnerships with the likes of former Fox commentator Tucker Carlson and former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
The platform, which has struggled to retain advertisers amid controversies ever since Musk bought it in 2022, said last month it would enable advertisers to run video ads next to certain content creators.
