X TV Goes Live: Can It Compete in the Video Streaming Arena?

If you’ve been dreaming of a video-centric app from a platform that calls itself the “world’s town square”, your wish has come true. Elon Musk’s X TV, the latest addition to the X platform, has recently gone live in different app stores, including Google Play, LG’s app store, and the Amazon App Store. However, it is worth mentioning that the X TV App is still not available on Apple TV, where only the legacy Twitter app surfaces in searches. Let’s dig into what this new app brings to the table.

X TV Arrives: The Latest Addition to the Ever-Evolving X Ecosystem

X TV is a platform designed to bring exclusive content, live events, and news directly to your living room. However, some early reviews claim that the app’s content will be quite different from competitors like YouTube. Even though, one of the reviewers described it as a “dumpster fire”.

To access X TV, users should have an X account, a typical requirement across the platform. The app promises a YouTube-like experience. However, it’s likely to feature more controversial content and possibly lower-quality advertisements. It is pertinent to mention that X TV launched without ads, as previously mentioned by CEO Linda Yaccarino. Now, the question arises will this app be able to give a tough competition to YouTube? There is a massive gap between the two platforms as YouTube generated $15.5 billion in advertising revenue in the first half of 2024.

The app’s description on Google Play praises it as “the trusted global digital town square for everyone, on your TV!” However, we still need to see whether X TV lives up to this ambitious claim. The app is rated T for teens on one store and 12+ on another, indicating content moderation, though early reviews imply otherwise.

One of the most important points of concern is the lack of functionality in accessing the X privacy policy and terms of service. On LG’s version of the app, users can see these call-outs but cannot click to open them. On tvOS, these options aren’t even selectable, raising questions about transparency and user safety. So, let’s wait and watch will this app be a successful venture or another controversial chapter.