Reddit debuts AI-driven Discover tab to keep users scrolling

The news: Reddit on Thursday rolled out a Discover tab on iOS and Android, which shows users an algorithm-driven feed of photos and videos from subcommunities (called subreddits) that users might be interested in.

Why it matters: The feature, which looks similar to Pinterest’s home feed or Instagram’s Explore page, helps update Reddit’s old-school look for modern smartphone apps—all while adding an AI-based content recommendation system to keep users scrolling.

What this means: It’s all likely a part of Reddit’s bigger-picture plan to make the platform more appealing to marketers. Reddit has been doubling down on brand safety, ramping up its ad capabilities, and courting ad agencies in anticipation of going public soon. And it’s worked: We estimate Reddit’s US ad revenues rose 89.0% last year.

Increasing users’ time spent on the platform and the number of subreddits that a user is exposed to makes Reddit’s recent investments in advertising even more attractive. This year, we expect its ad revenue to keep rising strongly—by 38.9% to $423.8 million. Mobile ad revenues will grow even faster, at 43.3%.