Redakcja Choose TV
For years Instagram has been mainly associated with cell phones, but the platform is increasingly moving into the world of TVs. Meta announced that the Instagram for TV app will be made available on Samsung Smart TVs. The feature was already available on devices with Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, but it will now reach a much wider audience. It's another step toward competing for time spent in front of the TV, where streaming services and YouTube currently dominate.
Reels and Stories on the big screen
A new app will allow users to browse Instagram’s popular formats directly on their TV. Reels, Stories and creator channels the user follows will appear on the screen. The solution is meant to make it easier to watch content together with family or friends without having to pass a smartphone around. Instagram emphasizes that more and more content posted by creators is entertainment-focused and looks good on a large screen. The feature will be available for Samsung Smart TVs manufactured in 2020 or later. This will give millions of users access to their favorite social platform without needing additional devices. Meta hopes that watching short videos on TV will become a natural part of home entertainment. In practice, that means you can comfortably keep up with favorite creators while relaxing on the couch. For many people, it could also be an alternative to traditional video platforms. Instagram wants to increase user engagement and extend time spent on the service. Bringing the app to TVs fits a broader trend of moving social media to large screens. More and more companies see the potential in combining social features with the home entertainment center.
Meta has bigger plans and is targeting YouTube
Launching the app on Samsung TVs is just the beginning. The company is already testing additional features that could significantly expand the platform’s capabilities. Among them is a dedicated section for landscape content, better suited to watching on TVs. It’s a clear sign that Instagram wants to compete more directly with YouTube, which has long dominated the segment of content viewed on large screens. According to available data, YouTube remains the most-watched video platform on TVs in the United States. Meta plans to gradually build its own position in this segment. Longer videos, live streams and episodic series-style content are also being tested. The company is also working on a feature to cast Reels from a smartphone directly to a Samsung TV. A similar option is already available on Google TV and Fire TV devices. The development of these features could make Instagram more than just an app for browsing photos and short clips. The platform is increasingly moving toward becoming a full-fledged video content hub. If Meta’s plans succeed, users could spend significantly more time on Instagram in the future, including in front of the TV.
Instagram for TV is coming to Samsung Smart TVs, offering access to Reels, Stories and other video content on the big screen. At the same time, Meta is developing new features for longer-form content, live streams and horizontal content that should help the platform better compete with YouTube.
source: cnet
