Reddit teases new 'Spoken' video feature to stream viral threads directly

Reddit is developing a new dedicated video and audio listening experience designed to bring its viral text threads to life directly inside its mobile app, and capture traffic lost to third-party content creators. Speaking to investors during the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman teased what the platform internally calls "video Reddit" or "spoken Reddit" - a feature slated to enter public testing before the end of the year.

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Capitalizing on the TikTok Narration Genre

The upcoming experience is a direct response to a massive viral trend across rival platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. Content creators regularly use automated text-to-speech tools to read dramatic Reddit threads from subreddits like r/AmITheAsshole or r/relationships while playing background video footage of mobile gameplay or cooking tutorials.

On TikTok alone, more than 29 million posts are tagged under #reddit and #redditstories. By building an official native viewing and listening format, Reddit aims to retain users on its own platform rather than watching its content redistributed elsewhere.

"There is an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet of, basically, podcasts where people read Reddit content," Huffman told analysts on the call. "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."

Background Play and Expanded Media Capabilities

While Reddit has not yet shared final user-interface designs, the feature will support background audio playback, allowing members to listen to narrated discussions like podcasts during daily commutes or while switching between apps.

The push into short-form multimedia follows Reddit's recent rollout of video comments, which the company confirmed already accounts for over 10% of all video submissions on the platform.