Mosseri said that he believes the existing vertical video content already on Instagram can work in a TV format. — Bloomberg
Instagram is exploring building a dedicated TV app as part of a deeper push into video, a move that could get Instagram videos in front of more viewers and also provide more competition for YouTube, which already makes it very easy to watch videos on a television.
"If behaviour [and] the consumption of these platforms is moving to TV, then we need to move to TV, too,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said Thursday at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles. He said the company is "exploring” a TV app, but added that there was nothing to announce yet.
"We’d like to figure out how to make sure that we show up in a compelling way on all the relevant devices,” he said, adding that he wishes the company had looked into a TV app years earlier. Mosseri said that he believes the existing vertical video content already on Instagram can work in a TV format. The executive said he isn’t interested in licensing live sports or other exclusive content from Hollywood, however.
Instagram, which is owned by Meta Platforms Inc, now has 3 billion monthly users. The app has evolved considerably in the last several years from its original photo-centric approach, to put more emphasis on the app’s most popular features: private messaging, Stories and short-form videos called Reels.
Video, specifically Reels, has become a major focus as Instagram competes fiercely with ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok. Mosseri announced last month that the app will feature the Reels icon more prominently in the navigation bar, and Instagram’s new iPad app opens directly into Reels instead of the traditional feed. The platform is also running a test of that format with Reels in India.
Instagram has tried to capitalize on TikTok’s uncertain future in the US, launching its own video editing app earlier this year as an alternative to ByteDance’s CapCut. Mosseri told Bloomberg in September that he expects a large portion of Instagram’s future growth to come from India, where TikTok is currently banned. – Bloomberg
