Musk plans to launch YouTube rival app for smart TVs

The chief of social media platform X said that he is preparing to roll out a TV app next week for Amazon and Samsung users who will be able to watch long form videos. As per a news agency, Musk also expressed his intentions to transform it into a super app offering services from messaging to peer-to-peer payments.

Replying to a user’s post saying that the social platform's long-form videos could be directly watched on smart TVs, Musk said, "Coming soon."

The news source quoted a Fortune report that said the app could look similar to the TV app offered by Google's YouTube. The report cited an unidentified source as saying Musk was set on competing with YouTube.

X has been partnering with people like former Fox commentator Tucker Carlson and former CNN anchor Don Lemon in a bid to become a ‘video first platform’.    

Since its takeover by Musk in 2022, X has struggled to retain advertisers amid controversies ever since Musk bought it in 2022.In another development, Musk has said that X could soon get approval for a money transmitter licence in New York. He also said X could receive its license in California in the next month or so, while getting the New York approval could be “a few months away”, as per report.

The billionaire has sought to turn it into an "everything app" like Tencent's dominant WeChat app in China, with features beyond social media, including the ability to send money to other X users.