If what’s been missing from your life is a video-centric app from a platform that still considers itself to be the world’s town square run at the whims of an (ahem) extremely eccentric billionaire and that has in many ways given up on any semblance of moderation that would make it the sort of place you’d want to admit hanging out, welcome to X TV.
The app is now live on the various app stores — we’ve found it on Google Play, LG’s app store, and the Amazon App Store (searching for it on Apple TV only returned the legacy Twitter app as I write this). There are different release dates depending on which platform you’re looking at. Amazon shows it as having been live since late July, but LG’s app store says August 29, 2024.
You have to have an X account to log in and watch anything, which is X’s modus operandi at this point across the platform. Screenshots for the app promise exclusive content, plus live events and news. From that 30,000-foot view it very much looks like a YouTube sort of clone, only likely with far more objectionable content, and lower-rent advertising. (If any — CEO Linda Yaccarino previously said the app wouldn’t have ads at launch.) YouTube, by the way, made $15.5 billion in advertising in the first half of 2024, and $31.5 billion for all of 2023. So just keep that in mind anytime someone calls it a YouTube competitor. (Or worse, a YouTube killer.)
The app description on Google Play reads “The X app is the trusted global digital town square for everyone, on your TV! Discover a new way to experience the world of X, as we bring you unique and engaging content right to your living room.” Whether that is true remains to be seen. Early app reviews don’t appear to be helpful, but one quick look from a DT comrade resulted in saying “the content available is a real dumpster fire.” So that’s probably pretty on brand for X in 2024. It’s also rated T for teen on one store, and 12+ on another. So there’s probably nothing to worry about, right?
It’s also worth noting that there at least are call-outs that look like links to X’s privacy policy and terms of service. You can select either one on LG’s version of the app, but not actually click to open said privacy polity or terms of service. You can’t even select them on the tvOS version. And Amazon helpfully suggests that others who downloaded X TV enjoy the right-wing video service Rumble, Banned Video, Real America’s Voice, and RSBN apps.
So far, so good.