Reddit on Tuesday unveiled platform changes, including a prototype of a TikTok-like function that divides text and video content into distinct feeds.
The two split-view feeds, “Read” and “Watch,” will let users browse text-based content or videos, depending on their mood.
A Reddit representative told TechCrunch that the new feeds are presently being tested but will go live fully in the upcoming weeks. The spokesman stated that, for the time being at least, the “Read” and “Watch” feeds in the test will both include posts that users have subscribed to as well as suggestions.
The upgrade aims to make Reddit users’ discovery process simpler and provide them the option to select the feed they wish to view (or read).
“By focusing on the core tenets of Reddit, new and existing users coming to Reddit will be greeted by better experiences and options to discover new and interesting content and communities in uncluttered spaces,” Pali Bhat, chief product officer of Reddit, said in an official statement.
Reddit said in a blog post on its official website that it will be releasing modifications to its video player to make it easier for users to “engage in conversations while watching.” In 2017, the business debuted its native video platform.
Reddit will also soon receive changes to chat, storefronts, and more, as well as an interface redesign to reduce clutter. The most recent addition was a new search function that lets users on PC, iOS, and Android devices search comments within a post.
Reddit has been incorporating video into its platform in a variety of ways over the last three years in an effort to compete with TikTok.
To include its video creation tools in Reddit, the business bought Dubsmash in 2020, a short-form video site similar to TikTok. Reddit launched a TikTok-inspired video feed on its iOS app in August 2021.
The business announced last year that it was looking into the possibility of adding more user-generated video content to its online forums as well as a function that would let people respond to other films.
