Instagram Launches ‘IGTV’ For Videos

Instagram just got even more video friendly. Yesterday, the company announced a new app called IGTV that will feature full-screen, hour-long videos created by some of your favorite publishers and celebrities.

You can access IGTV two ways. There’s a button in the top right part of the Instagram app, next to the DM paper airplane, or you can download the app separately. Once you’re viewing it (in either form) you’ll be able to watch videos that are up to an hour. You can upload your own videos there, too. There’s four different categories for the videos: For You, Following, Popular, and Continue Watching.

IGTV starts playing as soon as you open it, so you don’t even have to search to find content. It’s already there for you. There are also channels, and celebrities themselves can be channels. Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez are two examples.

From our CEO @kevin: “Today, we have two big announcements to share. First, Instagram is now a global community of one billion! Since our launch in 2010, we’ve watched with amazement as the community has flourished and grown. This is a major accomplishment — so from all of us at Instagram, thank you! Second, we’re announcing our most exciting feature to date: IGTV, a new app for watching long-form, vertical video from your favorite Instagram creators, like LaurDIY (@laurdiy) posting her newest project or King Bach (@kingbach) sharing his latest comedy skit. While there’s a stand-alone IGTV app, you’ll also be able to watch from within the Instagram app so the entire community of one billion can use it from the very start. IGTV is different in a few ways. First, it’s built for how you actually use your phone, so videos are full screen and vertical. Also, unlike on Instagram, videos aren’t limited to one minute. Instead, each video can be up to an hour long. We made it simple, too. Just like turning on the TV, IGTV starts playing as soon as you open the app. You don’t have to search to start watching content from people you already follow on Instagram and others you might like based on your interests. You can swipe up to discover more — switch between “For You,” “Following,” “Popular” and “Continue Watching.” You can also like, comment and send videos to friends in Direct. Also like TV, IGTV has channels. But, in IGTV, the creators are the channels. When you follow a creator on Instagram, their IGTV channel will show up for you to watch. Anyone can be a creator — you can upload your own IGTV videos in the app or on the web to start your own channel. Instagram has always been a place to connect with the people who inspire, educate and entertain you every day. With your help, IGTV begins a new chapter of video on Instagram. We hope it brings you closer to the people and things you love. IGTV will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android.

A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) on Jun 20, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom said via a press release that Instagram now has one billion users globally using the platform.