Instagram launched video five years ago and now they are introducing a new feature and dedicated standalone app called IGTV which brings audiences closer to the creators and content they love and already engage with on the Instagram platform. Instagram is reinventing mobile video with this new app that features longer videos and easy discoverability all in a vertical format in the hand of the user.
Instagram are recreating how we watch video on mobile. IGTV is an app for watching long-form vertical video from your favourite creators, it is a brand new experience inside of the main Instagram app. When you log into IGTV, it will automatically begin playing videos from the people you engage with along with personalised recommendations within Instagram. There is no wasted space with IGTV as videos play full screen vertically giving a better user experience. The videos aren’t restricted to the same 1 minute that people are used to on Instagram. Instagram wants to focus on only showing the highest of quality of videos with this exciting new feature. Product manager Ashley Yuk said, “it is super simple and intuitive to use”. It starts playing as soon as you open the app. You don’t have to search or browse for videos to get started like Youtube. IGTV is mobile first meaning it is built for how people actually use their phone which is held vertical and full screen.
Anybody can create content easily on IGTV and upload it in the app. It represents an effort to turn the app into a place for a mobile video to rival YouTube. Just like Youtube content creators have channels and people can subscribe to the people they enjoy seeing content from. New people can easily discover your brand. Videos on IGTV can be up to 10 minutes long to start with whereas larger accounts can post videos up to one hour in duration however in the long term Instagram expects to let all users post videos of unlimited length.
A longer vertical video makes it even easier to get closer to your audience and be discovered by new people. People continue to spend more time with entertainment on their mobile devices and we’re making it easier for them to get closer to the creators and original content they love. CEO Systrom said.
The feature encourages deeper storytelling and building stronger connections with potential customers as you showcase lots of dimensions of your brand. This is all done without being limited to one type of content, length or format. As with the Instagram stories feature, IGTV is built on Instagram leveraging a global community of more than 800M people. When your followers open the app they will instantly see original content from you.
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said the app was designed to make it easier to find and watch videos on the mobile phone. He also noted that most video apps require you to search or look through a directory as opposed to television where you simply turn it on and start watching. IGTV, on the other hand, will start playing video content from the moment you open the app.
There will be no ads on IGTV to start with but that would be “a reasonable place to end up,” Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said. Instagram is taking a different approach by creating a new app that is a destination for video in its own right and is trying to outdo rival company Youtube. The IGTV feature is now available on iOS and Android.