Katarzyna Petru
We have another revolution in the way social media is consumed. Instagram, which has dominated smartphones for years, is officially moving to the biggest screens in our homes - televisions. The platform owned by Meta has started the global rollout of dedicated Instagram apps for Smart TV systems.
Vertical video in the lounge?
The main aim of the new app is to allow users to watch "Reels" format videos on their television. Interestingly, despite the fact that modern TVs are widescreen (16:9), Instagram has chosen to maintain the native vertical video format. This means the recording takes up about one third of the central part of the screen, while the remaining space on the sides is used for the interface: captions, interaction buttons, and channel names. It's worth mentioning that this solution aligns with a trend previously initiated by apps like TikTok and YouTube Shorts on TV.
Samsung has anticipated vertical videos for TV. That’s why The Sero was created
It’s worth noting that the company Samsung anticipated these trends back in 2020, launching the innovative television from the The Sero series. This is a unique model equipped with automatic motors that allow for the physical rotation of the screen to a vertical position. Thanks to this solution, content from Instagram can be displayed natively, taking up the entire surface of the display. What seemed like a niche experiment a few years ago is now becoming the standard.
When is Instagram coming to your TV?
The rollout of the new app began with tests on Amazon Fire TV at the end of 2025, and this week the app has reached users on Google TV (initially in the USA). Meta announces that the service will soon be available in more countries and on other Smart TV platforms. Users can take advantage of ready-made thematic “channels” or search for content of interest using the search engine. This is in response to the fact that more and more people are choosing to use their TV instead of their phone for watching short video formats.
