The New York Times Unveils TikTok-Style ‘Watch’ Tab

Key Facts

• The New York Times launches Watch, a vertical video feed in its app.
• Content spans News, Cooking, Opinion, Wirecutter, and The Athletic.
• The feature is human-curated, not algorithmic, and ad-free at launch.
• Marks a major shift toward integrated multimedia storytelling.
• Monetization tests expected to begin with select advertisers in 2026.

The New York Times has rolled out a new in-app Watch tab, bringing short-form vertical video directly to its readers in a format reminiscent of TikTok and Reels. Designed for mobile use, the feed offers an immersive way to explore The Times’ reporting—from quick news explainers to lifestyle clips and cultural commentary. The move reflects the publisher’s long-term goal of creating a single destination where readers can read, listen, and now watch journalism from one place.

Unlike social platforms driven by algorithms, Watch relies entirely on editorial curation, allowing journalists to decide what appears in the feed. Videos will refresh throughout the day and highlight a mix of investigations, interviews, and visual essays, giving users a broader view of the publication’s storytelling. The decision to avoid advertising and personalization at launch underlines The Times’ cautious approach to experimenting with new formats before scaling.

The launch follows the integration of its audio content into the main app, signaling a larger evolution toward multimedia. With short-form video consumption surging globally, The Times is betting on in-house storytelling to engage audiences directly—without depending on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram to reach them.