Substack is stepping beyond the inbox and onto the biggest screen in the house.
The newsletter platform announced a new TV app in beta for Apple TV and Google TV, giving subscribers a way to watch video posts and livestreams from Substack creators directly on their televisions. It’s a clear signal that Substack wants video to be a bigger part of its future, not just an add-on to written newsletters.
Inside the app, viewers will find a TikTok-style “For You” row designed to surface videos from authors across the platform, alongside other recommended picks. The goal is to make discovery feel effortless, helping subscribers quickly find creators and conversations they’ll want to spend time with—especially in a lean-back, living-room setting.
Both free and paid subscribers can start using the TV app now, with access tied to each person’s subscription level. Substack also says it plans to introduce previews of paid content for free users later on, which could make it easier for viewers to sample premium work before committing.
More features are already on the roadmap. Substack plans to expand the TV experience with support for audio posts and read-alouds, improved search and discovery tools, and the ability to upgrade to paid subscriptions from inside the app. Another planned addition is dedicated sections for individual publications, letting subscribers browse an entire video library from a specific creator in one place.
This TV launch didn’t come out of nowhere. Substack has been steadily building toward a video-forward strategy as it competes for creators and audiences in an increasingly crowded attention economy. Video posts arrived in 2022, with monetization for videos introduced last year. Livestreaming was also rolled out more broadly, and the company has leaned into short-form viewing too, adding a TikTok-like video feed in its mobile app in March 2025.
Substack frames the TV app as a natural evolution: a place where longer, more thoughtful video and livestream content can be watched comfortably, without the distractions of a phone. But the reaction from parts of its community shows the move may be controversial. Many commenters on Substack’s announcement argued that the platform’s strength has always been writing, and worried that an expanded focus on video could dilute what made Substack appealing in the first place.
Substack isn’t alone in trying to reach viewers in the living room. Other social platforms are also exploring TV-friendly experiences, reflecting a broader shift toward bringing creator content to television screens, not just phones and laptops.
For Substack subscribers, the new Apple TV and Google TV app means one thing right now: more ways to watch Substack videos and livestreams—and a hint at how much the platform is betting on video as its next phase.
