Reddit Builds Spoken Video Layer to Reclaim Its Own Viral Stories

Reddit is building a native video experience that lets users watch clips or background-listen to posts, a direct response to the millions of TikTok videos already narrating its viral stories. CEO Steve Huffman outlined the plan on the Q2 2026 earnings call, saying testing could start later this year.

The move targets content that already thrives off-platform and aims to turn that attention into longer sessions on Reddit itself.

Huffman Maps a Watch-and-Listen Format

On the call Huffman described two related efforts. One improves how video sits inside the mixed home feed of text, images and clips. The other is a fuller “video Reddit” surface.

There is an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet of, basically, podcasts where people read Reddit content. I think this version of, like, listened-to or spoken Reddit can be really engaging, as well. So that would be almost a different format entirely.

Huffman said the company is working on both the feed mechanics and the spoken layer now. He expects material ready for testing later in 2026. The goal is not only playback but background listening so users can treat posts like audio while doing other things.

That approach mirrors how many people already consume the material. Text-to-speech narrations of popular threads play over gameplay, cooking clips or simple animations. Reddit wants to own the format rather than watch it flourish elsewhere.

The Off-Platform Story Market Is Already Huge

TikTok hosts roughly 19.6 million posts tagged #reddit and another 9.9 million under #redditstories. Most pair a voice reading a Reddit post with unrelated visuals. The volume shows demand for the platform’s raw, first-person accounts even when the original site never appears.

• 19.6 million TikTok posts labeled #reddit
• 9.9 million posts under #redditstories
• Common format: text-to-speech over gameplay or lifestyle footage
• Reddit’s own video comments already exceed 10% of all video posts

Huffman pointed to that off-platform activity as proof the spoken version works. Bringing it in-house would keep users inside Reddit’s app and communities instead of sending them to competitors for the same stories.

The timing fits a broader product push. Search referral traffic turned choppy in the quarter, especially late. Management is focused on converting the large weekly base into daily users through better feeds, easier posting and richer formats.

Video Comments Already Prove the Appetite

In June Reddit rolled out video replies across eligible communities. Users can record or upload short clips directly in comment threads. The feature went live after alpha tests in places such as r/popculturechat and r/fountainpens.

According to the company the format already accounts for more than 10% of all video posts on the platform. Official materials describe it as a way to add voice, expression and demonstration to conversations that once relied only on text, images or GIFs.

Examples include quick recipe hacks, makeup techniques, sports moves or celebrity AMA responses. Videos do not autoplay and respect audio settings. Safety systems review them before display. Eligible communities stay SFW and public.

Chief Product Officer Maria Angelidou-Smith said the tool gives users more creative ways to engage. The early traction gave management confidence that richer video surfaces can expand the upper funnel without breaking the conversation-first model.

That success sits inside the same product letter that flagged the new video Reddit work. One is live and measuring; the other is still in development.

Daily Habits and the Numbers Behind the Push

Reddit reported second-quarter revenue of $805 million, up 61% year-over-year. Advertising revenue hit $762 million, up 64%. Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 43%. Net income more than doubled to $253 million.

Daily active uniques averaged 130.3 million, up 18% year-over-year. Weekly active uniques reached 514.6 million, up 24%. The letter detailing daily active uniques growth also noted new-app-user retention improved 50% on a relative basis, though from a small base.

Management repeated the long-term target of one billion daily users globally and 100 million in the United States. Product work on feeds, onboarding, posting and now video is the stated path. Web-to-app conversion and higher session frequency are the near-term levers.

Video views became the fastest-growing upper-funnel ad objective, more than doubling year-over-year. A six-second engaged-view goal that launched earlier delivered large lifts in completion and cost efficiency in tests. The commercial side already likes video; the consumer side is catching up.

Short Video Spreads Across Every Screen

Reddit is not alone. Facebook announced plans to test a full-screen immersive video experience that opens for some users the moment they launch the app. The trial starts in select international markets later in 2026, with a possible U.S. look later.

Streaming apps have added vertical short feeds too. Netflix, Disney+, Peacock and HBO Max all rolled out TikTok-style discovery surfaces in recent months. Amazon keeps an Inspire shopping feed. LinkedIn has experimented with short video as well.

The pattern is clear. Every major surface is adding a swipeable video layer because that is where attention sits. Reddit’s version is distinctive only because its raw material is already the source for so much of the off-platform content.

Even interface experiments on pure short-video apps keep evolving. Recent YouTube Shorts interface experiments show how platforms keep tweaking engagement cues. Reddit is arriving later but with a built-in library of human stories that others simply repackage.

Who Feels the Shift First

Core Redditors gain a new way to consume long threads while commuting or cooking. Background listen could turn dense advice posts or dramatic AmItheAsshole tales into something closer to a podcast. Communities that already produce visual content get another distribution surface inside the app.

Creators who built TikTok audiences by reading Reddit posts face a different calculus. If the original platform makes the experience cleaner and safer, some traffic may stay home. At the same time those creators may simply migrate their narration skills onto Reddit itself once the tools exist.

Advertisers already see video as a growth engine. More native video inventory and longer engaged views strengthen the upper funnel. Dynamic product ads and app-install campaigns have been scaling; a richer video surface gives them more places to land.

Some users on X and elsewhere have already voiced caution. A video-heavy layer can feel like a departure from the text-and-thread identity that makes Reddit distinct. Management insists the product will stay mixed-media and conversation-first, but the execution will decide whether the new surface feels native or bolted on.

Testing Window and Remaining Tensions

Huffman said material should be ready for testing later this year. Integration details remain open: a separate tab, a mode inside the home feed, or both. How text posts convert to clean audio, whether voices are synthetic or human, and how comments attach to spoken versions are still unknown.

The company has already shown it can launch video features carefully. The video replies now available globally stayed limited to eligible communities, added safety checks, and avoided autoplay. The larger video Reddit surface will likely follow the same measured path.

Success would mean more daily opens, longer sessions and a tighter loop between the content Reddit creates and the attention it captures. Failure would mean another half-used surface that core users ignore. The off-platform numbers prove the demand exists. The open question is whether Reddit can make the experience feel like Reddit.

For now the bet is clear. The stories already travel. Reddit wants them to land at home.