Instagram will experiment with longform creator content, episodic series and live programming on TVs as it looks to take on the living room.
In addition, Instagram is testing horizontal video, as well the ability to send your favorite Reels from your phone straight to the TV in a few taps and to cast content from your Saved tab to watch all your favorite content at once.
The plans come as Instagram launched new channels tailored to specific creators and topics on TVs on Monday. Users can also see daily updates from their friends’ and creators’ Stories.
Instagram for TV is also expanding to Samsung Smart TVs in the U.S., including 2020 model year TVs and newer. The feature, which is already on Amazon Fire and Google TV products, is now available across the majority of connected TV devices in the U.S.
Instagram Reels Are Coming to Your TV
The expansion of Instagram for TVs comes after it launched an app to consume Reels on TVs in December in partnership with Amazon Fire TV. The app supports up to five accounts, allowing family and friends to switch to their preferred algorithm tailored to their interests.
Reels, which has an annual run rate of $50 billion, saw a 10% bump in time spent during Meta’s first quarter following ranking improvements made on Instagram. Meanwhile, video consumption on Facebook increased over 8% globally, the largest quarter-over-quarter gain in four years, and 9% in the U.S. and Canada.
“Instagram for TV has evolved significantly since we first began testing, but we’re still in the early stages of understanding what social video looks like on TV,” Instagram parent company Meta said in a blog post. “We’ll continue learning from our community and building new ways for people to connect around the content they love.”
