"Instagram is making the jump from mobile devices to the living-room TV for the first time - a bid to ratchet up viewing of short-form Reels, by taking videos to the biggest screen in the house. The Meta-owned social platform on Tuesday launched a pilot of Instagram for TV, an app designed to display Reels on connected TVs."
""We have seen a ton of demand from people on Instagram to watch Reels on TV," said Tessa Lyons-Laing, VP of product for Instagram. "We hear all the time that people get together with they're friends to watch Reels. It's fun to connect with your friends about this stuff." Initially, there will not be any advertising on the Instagram for TV app, but that's something the company will consider going forward, said Lyons-Laing."
"Note that "Instagram for TV" is different from the previous "IGTV" initiative. Originally launched in 2018, IGTV was not on television sets: It was meant to spur the creation of longer-form video on Instagram, of videos up to 15 minutes in length. (Reels can be up to 3 minutes in length.) The project was phased out in 2022, as Instagram focused on expanding Reels, Meta's TikTok-like short-form video format. Now, Instagram is taking Reels to HDTVs to try to carve out some share of big-screen viewing time."
Instagram launched a pilot app called Instagram for TV to present short-form Reels on connected televisions, initially available on Amazon Fire TV in the U.S. The app surfaces Reels up to three minutes and personalizes recommendations based on the creators and content each user follows and engages with. Users can explore channels and categories such as trending comedy, sports, music and lifestyle, with grouped Reels for easier browsing. The company reports demand for social viewing of Reels and will not include advertising in the initial TV app, though ads may be considered later. Expansion to more devices and markets is planned next year.
Read at Variety
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