Instagram TV is Here!

It’s no secret that video is king of the advertising and marketing world right now. Everyone is trying out their hand in creating videos for their brands and products. Currently royalty in the photo and short video world is Instagram, and in mid-June they upped their video game to a new level with the release of Instagram TV.

The main difference between Instagram TV and current video capabilities on the Instagram app is orientation, IGTV shoots vertical video, and length, IGTV clips can be up to an hour long! Should Snapchat and YouTube be worried? Only time will tell! As far as access to IGTV goes, you can either download the Instagram TV app or access it through Instagram by clicking the small television icon in the upper righthand corner of the app.

It seems the creators of IGTV wanted to replicate the TV watching experience on the handheld level. When you open the app you will be greeted by an IGTV show. While the video creators are the “channels,” IGTV features four categories of video content to help users get the most out of their experience. “For You,” “Following,” “Popular,” and“Continue Watching.” The “For You” category is similar to what you can expect on the explore page on Instagram- content suggested to you based on who you follow, what you like and what you view most. “Following” is where you’ll find videos from the accounts you follow only. “Popular” is similar to the trending section of videos that everyone is watching. Finally, “Continue Watching” is where you can go back to find videos you didn’t finish. So simple, but so streamlined.

There you have it, the basics on the new IGTV. Get out there kids, and enjoy the new vertical world of user-generated content on Instagram TV!

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