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BackVLC Media Player Reaches 7 Billion Downloads Milestone
VLC Media Player Reaches 7 Billion Downloads Milestone
Tech
TechCrunch1 hour agoTech1 min readUnited States

VLC Media Player Reaches 7 Billion Downloads Milestone

vlcvideolanjean-baptiste kempf

Quick Look

  • VLC media player, developed by the non-profit VideoLAN, has surpassed 7 billion downloads across all platforms, announced by president Jean-Baptiste Kempf.
  • The milestone comes 18 months after reaching 6 billion downloads in January 2025.
  • Kempf noted recent porting to Amazon's Vega OS for TVs and ongoing work on VLC 4 release, while AI-powered translation and subtitles teased last year remain unconfirmed.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

VLC media player, developed by the non-profit VideoLAN, is a widely used free and open-source multimedia player known for its offline functionality and broad codec support.

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In our world of expensive streaming platforms, the very free and offline VLC media player, developed by the non-profit VideoLAN, has crossed 7 billion downloads across all platforms.

Jean-Baptiste Kempf, the president and lead developer of VLC, sent this update in an email. This milestone comes almost 18 months after the app reached the 6 billion download mark in January 2025.

Kempf mentioned that the company recently ported VLC to Amazon’s new Vega OS for TVs. The company said it is also working on supporting all other platforms and codecs and that VLC is preparing for the VLC 4 release, but it is taking time in development.

Last year, VideoLAN had teased AI-powered translation and subtitles using local models, but it is not clear if those features were ever released.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • VLC 4 will be released in the future

    Likely · Within months

Open Questions

  • When will VLC 4 be released?
  • Have the AI-powered translation and subtitles features been released?
  • Which platforms besides Vega OS are being targeted for future ports?

Related Topics

vlc
PeopleJean-Baptiste Kempf
OrganizationsVideoLANAmazon
PlacesFranceUnited States
Topicsvideolanjean-baptiste kempf7 billion downloadsvega osvlc 4ai translation
This article was originally published by TechCrunch.

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