Instagram Gets Into Long-Form Video With IGTV

Sentinel out, YouTube. Instagram today launched a new app for watching long-form vertical video on your phone, IGTV.

"Information technology's time for video to move forward and evolve," Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom (pictured to a higher place) said at the IGTV launch an issue in San Francisco this afternoon. "In a world of overwhelming choice, you want the all-time videos not all videos."

IGTV

The standalone IGTV app will exist rolling out to iOS and Android globally over the coming weeks. In the meantime, Instagram volition integrate IGTV into its principal app via an update slated to go far today. Once y'all update your Instagram app, look for the IGTV logo on the acme-correct side of your feed, next to the DM push.

IGTV app

As soon as y'all open IGTV, video will kickoff playing in total-screen portrait mode—no demand to click annihilation. If you're not into that video, swipe to bank check out other creators' channels.

"You don't have to search to starting time watching content from people yous already follow on Instagram and others you might similar based on your interests," Systrom wrote in a blog post today. "When you follow a creator on Instagram, their IGTV aqueduct volition bear witness upwardly for y'all to lookout man. Anyone tin exist a creator — you can upload your own IGTV videos in the app or on the web to start your own channel."

As you lot watch, you can similar videos, leave a comment, and follow others. As was rumored, videos on IGTV can be up to an hour long. Instagram already supports hour-long live streams, but videos you post to your contour tin can just be up to one minute long and story clips are capped at just 15 seconds.

During its event this afternoon, Instagram brought on stage content creator Lele Pons, who currently has more 25.1 1000000 followers on the platform, to talk about a new cooking show she's planning for IGTV.

"Instagram is similar a dwelling away from home for me," Pons said. In her new IGTV show, Pons will claiming some of her friends to detect out who's the meliorate cook.

A number of other prominent Instagram creators plan to launch IGTV content today, including: Selena Gomez (@selenagomez), Kim Kardashian Westward (@kimkardashian), and Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real). Also on tap: Bryce Xavier, Manny Gutierrez, Dominic Chambrone, Tyler Blevins, Susie Shu, Madelain Petsch, Ross Butler, and Virgil Abloh.

The launch of IGTV comes 5 years to the mean solar day since Instagram first introduced video on the platform.

About Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo is PCMag'southward expert on fettle and smart home products. Pedagogy yoga for nearly 10 years has helped her in evaluating a range of connected health products including fitness trackers, heart rate monitors, rowers, smart scales, stationary bikes, forcefulness preparation machines, treadmills, and more. Angela also tests smart home devices from her ranch in Florida, including air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and robot vacuums, just to proper name a few.