Instagram is taking another step towards its larger goal of making video a more central part of its experience with the news that it is now combining long-form IGTV videos and feed videos in a new format called Instagram Video.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently said that it is no longer a photo-sharing app, noting that the company is prioritizing the shift to video amid heavy competition from YouTube and TikTok.
These videos, both longer and shorter, are found in user accounts under the new Video tab.
Meanwhile, when people come across videos across the platform, they can click anywhere across the video to enter the full-screen view.
After watching, they can then choose to keep scrolling to discover more video content from the creator or tap the back button to exit.
None of these changes will affect what the platform does with Reels, which remain separate, and will not be incorporated into this video feed, if users choose to scroll.
IGTV was on the decline as an independent product and brand before this change. In early 2020, the platform dropped the orange IGTV button from the homepage due to a lack of interest.
The move came as only 7 million of the platform’s 1 billion users had downloaded the standalone IGTV app.
The platform explained its decision to remove the button by saying that most of its users find IGTV content through previews shared within the feed and in Explore.
But IGTV’s existence as a standalone product has created chaos and confusion in the main application. And it failed to attract a large number of downloads.
However, the IGTV app will not be cancelled. It is now rebranded to Instagram Video, and hosts Instagram Video curated content, along with Instagram Live videos. But it will not host Reels videos.
Users are still able to upload videos in the same way as before. By clicking on the (+) sign in the upper right corner of the home page within the platform and selecting the “Publish” option. Videos can be up to 60 minutes in length.
The platform is also adding new features such as filters, people and location tags as part of the updated upload experience.
Longer videos, which could have previously been marked as IGTV videos, show 60-second previews in the feed, as they did before. However, if the video is eligible to show ads, the preview remains 15 seconds long, as before.
With these changes, IGTV ads are now called in-stream video ads. Content creators can continue to monetize longer videos. Brands can use the format as well.
The videos remain part of Instagram’s revenue-sharing tests with creators, as before. Creators will also still be able to post videos through Stories and share them via direct messages.