Substack launches a beta TV app for Apple TV and Google TV

Substack is taking its creator ecosystem to the biggest screen in the house, rolling out a beta TV app for Apple TV and Google TV that brings video posts and livestreams from its writers directly to living rooms. The move signals a deeper push into lean-back viewing as the platform expands beyond its newsletter roots.

What the Substack TV app offers to viewers and creators

The new app lets subscribers watch creator videos and live broadcasts on television, with a TikTok-style For You row that surfaces recommended clips based on viewing behavior. It blends algorithmic discovery with publication-driven browsing, aiming to help niche audiences find more from their favorite writers without losing serendipity.

Access mirrors the web and mobile experience: free and paid subscribers can sign in, with content availability determined by their tier. Substack says it will add previews for paid videos to help free users sample premium programming before upgrading.

The roadmap includes support for audio posts and read-alouds, more powerful search and discovery, in-app upgrades to paid subscriptions, and publication hubs so viewers can explore all videos from a single creator in one place. In short, it is building a full-featured lean-back companion to its mobile app.

Why Substack wants the living room for long-form viewing

Television is still where long-form attention lives. Nielsen’s The Gauge has consistently shown streaming accounting for roughly 40% of U.S. TV usage, and multiple measurement firms, including Conviva, report that session lengths on connected TV are materially longer than on mobile. For creators publishing hour-long interviews or deep-dive explainers, TV simply fits better than a phone screen.

There’s also a business angle. Insider Intelligence estimates U.S. connected TV ad spending has surpassed $25B, and while Substack’s model is subscriber-first, the TV surface gives it more levers: higher-priced sponsorships around live shows, curated programming blocks, and potential brand-safe bundles tied to premium publications.

From newsletters to video: extending Substack to TV

Substack’s TV push follows a steady build-out of multimedia. After adding native video posts, it opened monetization and rolled out livestreaming to publishers, then introduced a short-form video feed inside its app to widen top-of-funnel discovery. The TV app extends that arc to the lean-back context, where viewers are more likely to sit through longer runtimes and episodic series.

The strategic bet is that writers with established paid communities can translate trust into watch time. Think essayists turning interviews into weekly shows, investigative reporters hosting debriefs, or fitness and education publishers offering structured programs that are easier to follow on a TV.

Creator economics and Substack’s evolving TV roadmap

For creators, a TV app changes the packaging. Expect more scheduled livestreams, longer vodcasts, and serialized formats that encourage appointment viewing. Substack’s planned in-app upgrades on TV will matter here: reducing friction at the moment of intent can materially lift conversion rates for paid tiers.

Audio support and read-alouds on TV also open an underutilized channel—sound-first experiences that play in the background while people cook or unwind. If discovery improves as promised, publications with back catalogs can resurface evergreen videos, extending the revenue half-life of older work.

Competition in the living room as platforms converge

Substack isn’t moving alone. YouTube remains the default for long-form creator video on TV, Patreon powers memberships for many video-first creators, and Instagram recently introduced a TV experience that brings Reels to the big screen starting with major streaming devices. Standing out will require Substack to lean into its differentiation: paid relationships anchored in editorial trust rather than pure reach.

The For You row is a double-edged sword. Algorithmic feeds can boost discovery, but they also risk flattening voice-driven content into sameness. If Substack can balance personalization with publication identity—prioritizing context, not just clips—it could preserve the editorial feel that drew writers and readers in the first place.

Community reaction and risks as Substack expands to TV

Early community feedback is mixed. Some writers welcome a TV surface that rewards careful, long-form production; others worry that chasing video dilutes the platform’s commitment to writing. That tension is real, and Substack will need to show that video enhances, not replaces, the written core—especially by keeping publication pages and subscriber controls front and center on TV.

Execution will matter more than ambition. Success hinges on search that actually finds depth, a recommendation engine that respects subscribers’ intent, and tools that make it trivial for text-first writers to spin up credible video without changing their workflow. If Substack nails those details, the TV app could turn its best ideas into programming worth sitting down for—literally.