Substack goes for the living room with beta TV app launch
Substack launched a beta TV application for Apple TV and Google TV on Thursday, allowing subscribers to view video posts and livestreams created by authors on the platform.
The company has increasingly invested in video and livestreaming, competing with platforms such as YouTube and Patreon for creators and viewers. This initiative follows the introduction of video posts in 2022, video monetization for creators and livestreaming capabilities in early 2023, and a TikTok-like video feed in March 2025.
The new TV application features a “For You” row, which highlights creator videos and recommended videos. Free and paid subscribers can access the application based on their subscription tier. Substack plans to introduce paid content previews for free subscribers, audio posts, read-alouds, enhanced search and discovery features, in-app upgrades to paid subscriptions, and dedicated publication sections for creator video libraries.
“Substack is the home for the best longform—work creators put real care into and subscribers choose to spend time with,” the company said in a blog post. “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.”
User feedback on the announcement expressed concern about the platform’s perceived shift from written content to video. “Please don’t do this. This is not YouTube. Elevate the written word,” one comment read. Another popular comment stated, “You guys have gone from saying Substack is the best home for longform writing/writers to ‘Substack is the home for the best longform—work…’. I get trying to evolve, but this just seems like another venture capital-fueled idea.”
This expansion into living room platforms aligns with other companies, including Instagram, which recently launched IG for TV to enable Reels viewing on Amazon Fire TV.