Instagram Launches IGTV App with One-Hour Videos

Chloe Gay 21st June 2018 0 Comments

Yesterday it was announced that Instagram will begin allowing users to upload video content of up to one hour in length.

Recently, The Wall Street Journal published a report with rumours that the platform would launch a feature which would “focus on vertical video.”

Instagram is now launching IGTV. This is a button inside the Instagram home-screen, as well as a standalone app.

IGTV will show users popular videos from Instagram celebrities. Initially, everyone except small and brand new accounts will be able to upload – this will be extended over time.

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom announced yesterday at an event in San Francisco: “It’s time for video to move forward, and evolve. IGTV is for watching long-from videos from your favourite creators.”

The IGTV app has now been made available globally on iOS and Android, as well as through a TV shaped button above Stories.

Systrom added: “We made it a dedicated app so you can tap on it and enjoy video without all the distraction.”

Users will also get callouts from the IGTV button which will alert them to new content.

The feature will also let creators develop Instagram Channels which will host different videos that people can then subscribe to.

Systrom explained: “There’s no ads in IGTV today. It’s obviously a very reasonable place [for ads] to end up. Since creators are investing a lot of time into IGTV videos, I want to make that sustainable by offering them a way to monetize in the future. Instagram isn’t paying any creators directly for IGTV videos either, like Facebook did to jump-start its flopped Facebook Watch video hub.”