Reddit is testing new audio and video formats that let users watch and listen to posts instead of reading them, the company told Engadget. The experiment began rolling out on the website and mobile apps, allowing a sample of posts across select communities to appear as shortform videos. The company describes the test as a “limited experiment” affecting only a subset of content.
Text anchors the entire experience. The new formats link back to the original text posts and comments, which remain unchanged, according to a Reddit spokesperson. This means the text content isn’t disappearing, but rather getting a different presentation layer. It’s not yet clear exactly how the platform is selecting which posts get the video treatment, though the company shared an early example from r/boardgames. An eight-year-old thread asking for road trip game suggestions for adults was converted into a three-minute clip narrated by what appears to be AI-generated voices. The video includes the original text displayed on screen while a voiceover reads the question and top replies.
Reddit has recently added more video features elsewhere in the app, such as video comments that launch in a full-screen player. This latest test builds on that existing infrastructure. The move is part of a broader push to attract new users and keep casual viewers engaged, CEO Steve Huffman said during the company’s earnings call last month. “There’s an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet of basically podcasts where people read Reddit content, and so I think this version of like listened-to or spoken-Reddit can be really engaging as well,” he said.
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Bridging the gap between text and screen requires new tools. For many users, Reddit remains a text-first platform, but the company is testing ways to present that same information through other senses. By allowing users to listen to a post while commuting or watch a clip instead of scrolling through lines of text, Reddit attempts to lower the barrier to entry for people who might not have the time or attention span for deep reading. The company says it wants to understand if these formats are “helpful” to the community, though the underlying business goal appears to be expanding the audience base. While Huffman framed the feature as a way to capture the growing podcast audience, the implementation relies on AI voices to narrate existing threads, which changes the traditional, human-centric nature of the site’s discussions.
Users can access these features through the main feed. The video clips automatically play when users tap a post, providing an alternative to traditional reading. This approach helps the platform compete with other social networks that prioritize video content. The company hopes this innovation will increase time spent on the app.
