diff --git a/.env.defaults b/.env.defaults
index 0c56b8598..4896e87d9 100644
--- a/.env.defaults
+++ b/.env.defaults
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ YRBL_SAD_IMG_URL=https://cdn.lbryplayer.xyz/api/v3/streams/free/yrbl-sad/c2d9649
 ENABLE_COMMENT_REACTIONS=true
 ENABLE_FILE_REACTIONS=false
 ENABLE_CREATOR_REACTIONS=false
+CHANNEL_STAKED_LEVEL_VIDEO_COMMENTS=4
 
 # OG
 OG_TITLE_SUFFIX=| lbry.tv
diff --git a/config.js b/config.js
index ab36896fa..77041bdc8 100644
--- a/config.js
+++ b/config.js
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ const config = {
   ENABLE_COMMENT_REACTIONS: process.env.ENABLE_COMMENT_REACTIONS === 'true',
   ENABLE_FILE_REACTIONS: process.env.ENABLE_FILE_REACTIONS === 'true',
   ENABLE_CREATOR_REACTIONS: process.env.ENABLE_CREATOR_REACTIONS === 'true',
+  CHANNEL_STAKED_LEVEL_VIDEO_COMMENTS: process.env.CHANNEL_STAKED_LEVEL_VIDEO_COMMENTS,
   SIMPLE_SITE: process.env.SIMPLE_SITE === 'true',
   SHOW_ADS: process.env.SHOW_ADS === 'true',
   PINNED_URI_1: process.env.PINNED_URI_1,
diff --git a/ui/component/comment/index.js b/ui/component/comment/index.js
index 40766512e..315d5188f 100644
--- a/ui/component/comment/index.js
+++ b/ui/component/comment/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
-import { makeSelectThumbnailForUri, selectMyChannelClaims } from 'lbry-redux';
+import { makeSelectStakedLevelForChannelUri, makeSelectThumbnailForUri, selectMyChannelClaims } from 'lbry-redux';
 import { doCommentUpdate } from 'redux/actions/comments';
 import { makeSelectChannelIsMuted } from 'redux/selectors/blocked';
 import { doToast } from 'redux/actions/notifications';
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ const select = (state, props) => ({
   activeChannelClaim: selectActiveChannelClaim(state),
   myChannels: selectMyChannelClaims(state),
   playingUri: selectPlayingUri(state),
+  stakedLevel: makeSelectStakedLevelForChannelUri(props.authorUri)(state),
 });
 
 const perform = (dispatch) => ({
diff --git a/ui/component/comment/view.jsx b/ui/component/comment/view.jsx
index a01f44890..814016b58 100644
--- a/ui/component/comment/view.jsx
+++ b/ui/component/comment/view.jsx
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ type Props = {
   commentIdentityChannel: any,
   activeChannelClaim: ?ChannelClaim,
   playingUri: ?PlayingUri,
+  stakedLevel: number,
 };
 
 const LENGTH_TO_COLLAPSE = 300;
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ function Comment(props: Props) {
     isPinned,
     othersReacts,
     playingUri,
+    stakedLevel,
   } = props;
   const {
     push,
@@ -254,10 +256,20 @@ function Comment(props: Props) {
                     </div>
                   ) : editedMessage.length >= LENGTH_TO_COLLAPSE ? (
                     <Expandable>
-                      <MarkdownPreview content={message} promptLinks parentCommentId={commentId} />
+                      <MarkdownPreview
+                        content={message}
+                        promptLinks
+                        parentCommentId={commentId}
+                        stakedLevel={stakedLevel}
+                      />
                     </Expandable>
                   ) : (
-                    <MarkdownPreview content={message} promptLinks parentCommentId={commentId} />
+                    <MarkdownPreview
+                      content={message}
+                      promptLinks
+                      parentCommentId={commentId}
+                      stakedLevel={stakedLevel}
+                    />
                   )}
                 </div>
 
diff --git a/ui/component/common/markdown-preview.jsx b/ui/component/common/markdown-preview.jsx
index 1242624d5..192b5ec3a 100644
--- a/ui/component/common/markdown-preview.jsx
+++ b/ui/component/common/markdown-preview.jsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import defaultSchema from 'hast-util-sanitize/lib/github.json';
 import { formatedLinks, inlineLinks } from 'util/remark-lbry';
 import { formattedTimestamp, inlineTimestamp } from 'util/remark-timestamp';
 import ZoomableImage from 'component/zoomableImage';
+import { CHANNEL_STAKED_LEVEL_VIDEO_COMMENTS } from 'config';
 
 type SimpleTextProps = {
   children?: React.Node,
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ type MarkdownProps = {
   className?: string,
   parentCommentId?: string,
   isMarkdownPost?: boolean,
+  stakedLevel?: number,
 };
 
 // ****************************************************************************
@@ -93,7 +95,7 @@ const REPLACE_REGEX = /(<iframe\s+src=["'])(.*?(?=))(["']\s*><\/iframe>)/g;
 // ****************************************************************************
 
 const MarkdownPreview = (props: MarkdownProps) => {
-  const { content, strip, simpleLinks, noDataStore, className, parentCommentId, isMarkdownPost } = props;
+  const { content, strip, simpleLinks, noDataStore, className, parentCommentId, isMarkdownPost, stakedLevel } = props;
   const strippedContent = content
     ? content.replace(REPLACE_REGEX, (iframeHtml, y, iframeSrc) => {
         // Let the browser try to create an iframe to see if the markup is valid
@@ -119,12 +121,13 @@ const MarkdownPreview = (props: MarkdownProps) => {
     remarkReactComponents: {
       a: noDataStore
         ? SimpleLink
-        : linkProps => (
+        : (linkProps) => (
             <MarkdownLink
               {...linkProps}
               parentCommentId={parentCommentId}
               isMarkdownPost={isMarkdownPost}
               simpleLinks={simpleLinks}
+              allowPreview={stakedLevel && stakedLevel >= CHANNEL_STAKED_LEVEL_VIDEO_COMMENTS}
             />
           ),
       // Workaraund of remarkOptions.Fragment
diff --git a/ui/component/fileRender/index.js b/ui/component/fileRender/index.js
index b09fd76d7..9e2af8b43 100644
--- a/ui/component/fileRender/index.js
+++ b/ui/component/fileRender/index.js
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import {
   makeSelectDownloadPathForUri,
   makeSelectStreamingUrlForUri,
   SETTINGS,
+  makeSelectStakedLevelForChannelUri,
+  makeSelectChannelForClaimUri,
 } from 'lbry-redux';
 import { makeSelectClientSetting } from 'redux/selectors/settings';
 import { makeSelectFileRenderModeForUri, makeSelectFileExtensionForUri } from 'redux/selectors/content';
@@ -13,9 +15,11 @@ import FileRender from './view';
 
 const select = (state, props) => {
   const autoplay = props.embedded ? false : makeSelectClientSetting(SETTINGS.AUTOPLAY)(state);
+  const channelUri = makeSelectChannelForClaimUri(props.uri)(state);
   return {
     currentTheme: makeSelectClientSetting(SETTINGS.THEME)(state),
     claim: makeSelectClaimForUri(props.uri)(state),
+    stakedLevel: makeSelectStakedLevelForChannelUri(channelUri)(state),
     thumbnail: makeSelectThumbnailForUri(props.uri)(state),
     contentType: makeSelectContentTypeForUri(props.uri)(state),
     downloadPath: makeSelectDownloadPathForUri(props.uri)(state),
diff --git a/ui/component/fileRender/view.jsx b/ui/component/fileRender/view.jsx
index e3b666d31..f155eb9a7 100644
--- a/ui/component/fileRender/view.jsx
+++ b/ui/component/fileRender/view.jsx
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ type Props = {
   thumbnail: string,
   desktopPlayStartTime?: number,
   className?: string,
+  stakedLevel?: number,
 };
 
 class FileRender extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ class FileRender extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
       uri,
       renderMode,
       desktopPlayStartTime,
+      stakedLevel,
     } = this.props;
     const source = streamingUrl;
 
@@ -110,6 +112,7 @@ class FileRender extends React.PureComponent<Props> {
             }}
             renderMode={renderMode}
             theme={currentTheme}
+            stakedLevel={stakedLevel}
           />
         );
       case RENDER_MODES.DOCX:
diff --git a/ui/component/markdownLink/view.jsx b/ui/component/markdownLink/view.jsx
index 2f0ab6986..83e730171 100644
--- a/ui/component/markdownLink/view.jsx
+++ b/ui/component/markdownLink/view.jsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // @flow
-import { KNOWN_APP_DOMAINS } from 'config';
+import { KNOWN_APP_DOMAINS, SIMPLE_SITE } from 'config';
 import * as ICONS from 'constants/icons';
 import * as React from 'react';
 import { isURIValid } from 'lbry-redux';
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ type Props = {
   href: string,
   title?: string,
   embed?: boolean,
+  allowPreview?: boolean,
   children: React.Node,
   parentCommentId?: string,
   isMarkdownPost?: boolean,
@@ -17,7 +18,16 @@ type Props = {
 };
 
 function MarkdownLink(props: Props) {
-  const { children, href, title, embed = false, parentCommentId, isMarkdownPost, simpleLinks = false } = props;
+  const {
+    children,
+    href,
+    title,
+    embed = false,
+    allowPreview = false,
+    parentCommentId,
+    isMarkdownPost,
+    simpleLinks = false,
+  } = props;
 
   let decodedUri;
   try {
@@ -33,6 +43,7 @@ function MarkdownLink(props: Props) {
   // Regex for url protocol
   const protocolRegex = new RegExp('^(https?|lbry|mailto)+:', 'i');
   const protocol = href ? protocolRegex.exec(href) : null;
+  const isLbryLink = href.startsWith('lbry://');
 
   let linkUrlObject;
   try {
@@ -62,6 +73,10 @@ function MarkdownLink(props: Props) {
     }
   }
 
+  // Return timestamp link if it starts with '?t=' (only possible from remark-timestamp).
+  // Return plain text if no valid url.
+  // Return external link if protocol is http or https.
+  // Return local link if protocol is lbry uri.
   if (href.startsWith('?t=')) {
     // Video timestamp markers
     element = (
@@ -80,10 +95,7 @@ function MarkdownLink(props: Props) {
       />
     );
   } else if (!simpleLinks && ((protocol && protocol[0] === 'lbry:' && isURIValid(decodedUri)) || lbryUrlFromLink)) {
-    // Return plain text if no valid url
-    // Return external link if protocol is http or https
-    // Return local link if protocol is lbry uri
-    element = (
+    element = allowPreview ? (
       <ClaimLink
         uri={lbryUrlFromLink || decodedUri}
         autoEmbed={embed}
@@ -92,13 +104,21 @@ function MarkdownLink(props: Props) {
       >
         {children}
       </ClaimLink>
+    ) : (
+      <Button
+        button="link"
+        iconRight={isLbryLink ? undefined : ICONS.EXTERNAL}
+        title={SIMPLE_SITE ? __("This channel isn't staking enough LBRY Credits for link previews.") : children}
+        label={children}
+        className="button--external-link"
+        navigate={isLbryLink ? href : undefined}
+        href={isLbryLink ? undefined : href}
+      />
     );
   } else if (
     simpleLinks ||
     (protocol && (protocol[0] === 'http:' || protocol[0] === 'https:' || protocol[0] === 'mailto:'))
   ) {
-    const isLbryLink = href.startsWith('lbry://');
-
     element = (
       <Button
         button="link"
diff --git a/ui/component/viewers/documentViewer.jsx b/ui/component/viewers/documentViewer.jsx
index 8bd17f153..d86ef0aee 100644
--- a/ui/component/viewers/documentViewer.jsx
+++ b/ui/component/viewers/documentViewer.jsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ type Props = {
     stream: string,
     contentType: string,
   },
+  stakedLevel?: number,
 };
 
 type State = {
@@ -75,11 +76,11 @@ class DocumentViewer extends React.PureComponent<Props, State> {
 
   renderDocument() {
     const { content } = this.state;
-    const { source, theme, renderMode } = this.props;
+    const { source, theme, renderMode, stakedLevel } = this.props;
     const { contentType } = source;
 
     return renderMode === RENDER_MODES.MARKDOWN ? (
-      <MarkdownPreview content={content} isMarkdownPost promptLinks />
+      <MarkdownPreview content={content} isMarkdownPost promptLinks stakedLevel={stakedLevel} />
     ) : (
       <CodeViewer value={content} contentType={contentType} theme={theme} />
     );