Instagram brings Reels to the big screen, starting with Amazon Fire TV
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Instagram is expanding its Reels feature to television screens, launching first on Amazon Fire TV. This move aims to compete with platforms like YouTube.
Instagram is taking Reels beyond your phone. The social media platform announced Tuesday that it's testing a new feature called IG for TV, which allows users to watch Reels on their televisions. The rollout begins with Amazon Fire TV.
This expansion puts Instagram in more direct competition with platforms like YouTube, which has a strong presence in the TV streaming space. Instagram hopes users will choose its TV app while relaxing at home, offering an alternative to traditional TV viewing. Instead of watching a full movie or show on Netflix, viewers could easily switch over to watching Reels.
IG for TV offers a personalized experience, curating Reels based on the content and creators a user already enjoys on the Instagram app. To help viewers discover new videos, Reels are organized into channels and categories based on themes like comedy, music, and lifestyle.
Reels will play automatically, so viewers can lean back and enjoy a continuous stream of content without manually selecting each video. Of course, the option to skip to the next Reel is always available. Users can also like videos, read and post comments, and share Reels with others.
IG for TV allows users to link to their existing Instagram account, adding up to five accounts for a shared household experience. Alternatively, viewers can create a brand-new account specifically for TV viewing.
It's important not to confuse IG for TV with IGTV, Instagram's previous attempt at long-form video content, which was discontinued in 2022.
The launch of a dedicated TV app isn't entirely unexpected. Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, mentioned the company's plans for such an app back in October.
Speaking at Bloomberg's Screentime event, Mosseri said that Instagram was "exploring TV." He noted the importance of TV as a platform for YouTube and TikTok, adding, "So we’d like to figure out how to make sure that we show up in a compelling way on all the relevant devices." Mosseri also stated that the company should have explored a TV app sooner, expressing regret that they hadn't done so years ago.
