• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, August 18, 2017

Aiming to increase video consumption and grow advertising on its platform, Reddit has launched a native video player that will enable users to upload video directly to the site vs. using an outside service.

Reddit will be able to show users video ads that play automatically with the sound off.

The new video player is tethered to the Reddit app but can be used for any video clip from a user’s library up to 15 minutes in length, and 1 GB or less in size. Video will begin playing in a corner of a screen while users scroll through the page.

Reddit said it also plans to launch a GIF-making tool to accompany the video offering.

Reddit, which has 50,000 sub-communities, is trying to transition from being perceived as a destination for niche interests. It raised $200 million from investors last month to further that goal sand introduced video ads a couple of months ago. The new video player will make it easier to deliver ads and for users to share video.