X is looking to sign-up more original content, as part of its expanded video push, with the launch of a new “X Originals” moniker for its expanding slate of programming.
As explained by X:
“Over the last year, we’ve released a slate of premium content series, together with some of the internet’s top talent […] We’ve already released 17 shows with over 300 episodes across the US, Japan, and MENA, and we’re just getting started – continuing to build premium original content series for X’s most popular communities like sports, pop culture, business & finance, and more. Nowhere else can you watch a new series with your favorite creators AND talk to them immediately below the episode.”
Which has always been the allure and appeal of X (and Twitter), that it’s the top host of TV show discussion online, and if there was some way that you could integrate the two, combining content consumption alongside all that real-time chatter, the platform could become an entertainment powerhouse.
“Could” being the operative word.
Previous Twitter management tried out many ways to merge the two behaviors, even signing expensive hosting rights deals with the MLB, NFL and NBA to broadcast games directly in the app.
Given that sports is the most discussed topic segment in the app, and live sports, in particular, drive huge engagement, an integrated Twitter/TV offering seemed to make sense, bringing the top tweets and posts right to the same screen, so more users could view and interact with the expanded discussion,
But it didn’t work. For some reason, users prefer to use Twitter/X as a second screen, while viewing sports on another surface (or in person).
Twitter also tried the same with TV shows and exclusive video content, to limited success.
But X believes that it now sees a new path to entertainment dominance, though it’s exclusive content slate, at this stage, remains limited.
Over the first year of its video content push, X has signed deals with and/or hosted exclusive video content from:
- Khloe Kardashian on her “Khloe in Wonderland” interview show
- Anthony Pompliano for his business-focused program “From the Desk of Anthony Pompliano”
- Paris Hilton, on a yet-to-be-announced project (which now seems to have been dumped)
- Tucker Carlson, whose interviews had been generating millions of views in the app (before he migrated to his own platform)
- Don Lemon, whose X show was canceled after he interviewed Elon Musk
- Tulsi Gabbard, who had been developing a series of documentary-style programs focused on U.S. politics (now seemingly dumped)
- Jim Rome who’s still airing his show “The Jungle” in the app
- WWE, which is airing a weekly “WWE Speed” show in the app
- The Big 3 league of retired NBA players, which aired weekly games in the app during its most recent season
- Rap battle show Verzuz, which is looking to make a comeback on X
- Investment-based show “Going Public” (still airing on X)
- Football docu-series “The Offseason”
- NHL’s “4 Nations” tournament
- Athlos athletic events
- Special docu-series “The Art of the Surge” focusing on Trump’s re-election, and “All-In with the Boston Celtics”
That’s not bad, I guess, in terms of expanded original programming. But 15 or so shows is also not going to make X a serious player in this space, especially with every other platform offering more incentives for creators to share their content exclusively in their apps, which have even bigger audience reach.
In this sense, X remains a niche offering, and with its overall audience reach in decline, not an overly appealing one for those looking to build their online media foundations.
But again, X does host a lot of related discussion, and it’s hopeful that those additional community engagement benefits will be of interest to more content creators moving forward.
Which will then enable it to build out its X Originals slate, though how X sees itself as a “video first” platform at this stage is still unclear.
X is not a video-first platform. TikTok is, as is YouTube, and both Instagram and Snapchat are inching ever-closer to being video-first in their own ways.
X isn’t. The app doesn’t open to a video feed, and only offers video as a secondary element, that users have to actively seek out. Which will always impede its expansion on this front, and I don’t really see how X has done much to shift user attention towards video, other than adding a video tab, and proclaiming that it’s now a “video first” business.
Sure, video views in the app are increasing, but some of that comes down to how X is measuring video “views,” along with broader online posting and consumption trends.
Given this, I’m not sure X’s Originals are going to see any significant expansion, unless X spends a lot of money to do so. And as noted, that hasn’t worked in the past, so I’m not entirely sure why X thinks it can make it happen with this effort.
But maybe, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s experience and connections, based on her years of working NBCUniversal, it has some more tricks up its sleeve on this front.
