Substack Launches Dedicated TV App for Apple and Google TV Devices Substack is making a significant push into the living room with the launch of a new Substack TV app available now for Apple TV and Google TV devices. This move comes just 16 months after the newsletter platform first introduced live video capabilities, a feature that has seen rapid adoption. The app is designed to bring Substack’s growing library of long-form video content and livestreams to the big screen. It focuses on providing what the company calls reliable, high-quality viewing. The interface centers on video posts and live broadcasts from the writers and publications a user already follows on Substack. A For You section will combine content from followed channels with algorithmic recommendations to surface new material. Users can also browse dedicated pages for individual creator channels. Access to videos works the same as on the web and mobile apps. If a creator restricts a video to paying subscribers, that paywall remains in effect on the TV app. Substack notes it is developing a feature to show previews of paid content to free users and plans future additions like audio posts, search functionality, and improved discovery tools. The launch is seen as a logical next step for a platform that has become a hub for media personalities, particularly those leaving traditional cable news. Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, who now publishes on Substack, endorsed the new app in the company’s announcement, calling it a game-changing moment for the rise of independent media. He stated that Substack has proven legacy media audiences are actively seeking and finding fresh alternatives. However, the expansion into television has received a mixed reaction from some of Substack’s core user base. Comments on the platform’s announcement post revealed concern from writers and readers who primarily value Substack for its written word. One user remarked that the TV app was a thing we didn’t ask for, while another commented directly that Substack is not YouTube, urging the company to elevate the written word. These reactions highlight a tension as Substack evolves. While adding a TV app provides another way for audiences to engage with video content already being produced on the platform, it signals a continued strategic shift toward video. Critics worry this could eventually dilute the focus on the written newsletters that built Substack’s reputation, following a common tech industry pattern of pivoting toward the most popular and profitable formats. The Substack TV app is available now. Users can find it by searching in the tvOS App Store on Apple TV or within the Apps section on Google TV and Android TV devices. Signing in requires scanning a QR code displayed on the TV screen with the Substack app on a mobile phone.
