Technology and Science17 August, 20262 min read
Reddit Tests Audio And Video Versions Of Posts In Select English-Language Subreddits
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Reddit is testing narrated audio and video versions of select English-language posts. Tests rollout across iOS and Android in select communities to gauge engagement.
Reddit adds listen/watch
Reddit is testing a new way to consume posts by letting users switch from reading to listening or viewing, with the trial launching on August 17 in select English-language subreddits on iOS and Android. The test is designed to bring audio and video versions of select posts to a limited number of communities, and Reddit says the original text posts stay intact while comments remain accessible.
In the Engadget example, an eight-year-old post in r/boardgames asking for suggestions for road trip games for adults was converted into a three-minute video that narrates the OP’s question and some of the top replies. Reddit describes the rollout as a “limited experiment” affecting “a sample of posts across select communities” on the platform, and it says users can choose to listen to posts or watch them as shortform videos.
Huffman cites “podcasts”
CEO Steve Huffman previewed the change during Reddit’s second-quarter earnings call in July, telling analysts that an emerging content type elsewhere on the internet is “basically podcasts where people read Reddit content.” Huffman said he thinks “this version of like listened-to or spoken-Reddit can be really engaging as well,” framing the test as a way to bring that behavior inside Reddit.
Reddit tells TechCrunch the initial tests are early and limited experiments meant to understand which formats work for users and whether they can be done in a way that feels authentic to Reddit. TechCrunch reports that users will be able to choose whether they want to “read” or “play” a post when available, and that the test focuses only on select English-language posts accessible through Reddit’s iOS and Android apps.
Competition and missing money
The test targets a format that has already made other people money, where third-party creators narrate Reddit posts over a plain background and post the results on YouTube, earning an estimated $3–8 per thousand views. Gagadget says Reddit generates none of that revenue and that CEO Steve Huffman flagged the issue during the Q2 2026 earnings call on July 31, calling it an opportunity the platform intends to take back.
At the same time, Gagadget notes that Reddit has not announced how—or whether—it will share revenue with users whose posts get turned into audio or video, and it adds that no creator split has been confirmed for this format. Engadget reports that the new audio and video formats will still link back to the original text posts and comments, which will "remain unchanged," according to a Reddit spokesperson, while the company continues to roll out the test on Reddit’s apps and website.