x has entered the streaming wars, so to speak. x.com/elonmusk/status/1830775664728739844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1830775664728739844%7Ctwgr%5Ef5b779d9c94644a44fde5cf30e67184a49f42a66%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dexerto.com%2Ftech%2Fx-unveils-video-centric-tv-app-to-rival-youtube-2886163%2F”> announced that the x TV app—in advance—is now available for select amazon Fire TVs, Google TVs, and select LG panels.
If your TV doesn't fit into any of these categories, don't worry. You're not missing out on anything.
The short teaser video included in the app’s beta announcement shows what appears to be Google’s version of the app with a typical-looking video streaming interface. There are rows of links to videos from the platform’s very small number of original shows, such as one from right-winger Tucker Carlson and accounts from SpaceX and Tesla. However, the actual app (or at least the amazon Fire TV version) looks nothing like the video and offers even less in terms of content.
Currently, the x TV app is just a video delivery system for the x app. You'll need an x account to log in, and it'll send you to a curated list of x videos that are already on the platform. However, what appear to be the default recommendations are actually pretty awful for anyone who isn't as politically minded as Musk.
I used a burner account that didn't follow many users, and the videos the x TV app offered me upon first viewing included a video of Megyn Kelly accusing Tim Walz of committing “stolen valor,” a report by right-wing social media influencer Andy Ngo, and Carlson's fawning interview with historian Darryl Cooper, who engages in revisionist history. Calling Winston Churchill “the main villain of World War II.”
x TV’s video library is a reflection of its users: After years of leaning liberal, its most active user base is now conservative diehards ready for anything x throws their way. The videos on display may entertain those users, and Musk’s fan club may be excited to finally have a streaming app on smart TVs, but even if you’re in that demo, it’s a disappointingly bare-bones app compared to rivals like Rumble.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-x-tv-app-is-out-now-and-yes-it-really-sucks-204931559.html?src=rss
