Video content is becoming increasingly important and we’ve known it for a long time. Instagram has known it for some time, so it is not surprising that, after the videos in the stories and one-minute videos in the newsfeed, it has also launched a platform for high-quality videos.
The images say more than a thousand words and the videos say more than 100,000 images. Just in time to reach one billion users, Kevin Systrom, CEO and co-founder of Instagram, announced the launch of IGTV, a new video platform aimed directly at Mobile First Generation.
What is IGTV and what does it add to Instagram?
IGTV is a new first generation video platform for mobile devices, which does not play video in the classic widescreen format, but instead presents them vertically, in portrait mode. Instagram briefly describes the three key points of IGTV:
- Mobile first: IGTV works vertically in full screen.
- Easy to use: as soon as you open the app, play videos without having to search for content.
- High quality content: IGTV is based on existing accounts within the Instagram app.
In fact, videos on Instagram are not really new, since videos with a maximum length of 15 seconds in stories and material on the move with a maximum duration of 60 seconds can be shared with followers through the feed. With IGTV, Instagram introduces videos with up to 60 minutes.
Using the app is not a surprise for Instagram users, but it’s very easy to understand for newcomers. Content discovery works through five mechanisms:
- through the search function,
- through the personal recommendations “For You”,
- the Instagrammasters have followed “Followers”,
- the videos highlighted in “Popular” and …
- those who started the videos in “Next View”.
Technically the app should not be installed because the functions should be integrated into the Instagram app, but so far for me, at least, it is not yet possible.
- Download the app from the Play Store
As usual, you can continue to search, comment, link and share content while the video is running.
For those who like to upload videos, there are of course options to add descriptions, including links to their sites and stores on the net. It remains to be seen the number of users and celebrities that Facebook can conquer from YouTube.
Instagram videos are an unexplored gold mine
Instagram started as a photo-only platform, but when the service introduced Instagram videos, users got wild. Within the first 24 hours of making the service available, there were 1.5 million videos published on the platform and Facebook took note of it. Over the years, features like Instagram Live Video and Stories have surpassed the normal way users enjoy the platform, which is one of the reasons behind IGTV.
IGTV is aimed at young people
The target audience for Instagram is the younger generation, which is highly adaptable to the new features and elements introduced with the Instagram app. This is evident from the fact that after Instagram it introduced Stories, which has gained three times the research interest compared to the original Snapchat Stories.
It’s about the money
Because Facebook is a company that has based its entire fortune on advertising user content and helps companies build their brand through online marketing, Google’s YouTube is a natural competitor. This is why IGTV should follow in the footsteps of Facebook and monetize the videos that are created by the creators and hopefully share those revenues with the creators themselves. While Instagram has yet to show the exact path of monetization for the creator, you can expect very soon video ads pre-roll and mid-roll hidden between IGTV video.
IGTV is built for mobile devices
Despite being full of advertising, the YouTube app does a great job in showing millions of videos, but the platform still remains centered on the desktop with 4K resolution and 360 video. IGTV, on the other hand, is an exclusive platform for mobile devices which, while offering web support, is dedicated to bringing video in a portrait orientation, which makes it the best display on the mobile screen, especially since you do not have to flip the phone sideways to enjoy a full-screen experience.
Longer videos and better quality
Considering that the shorter length of video was one of the main reasons that push creators away from Instagram and YouTube, IGTV’s ability to allow videos longer than just 60 seconds is a big problem. The new and upcoming creators can upload videos in MP4 format from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in length and up to 650 MB of space. However, verified channels and larger brands will be able to load videos up to 60 minutes long with sizes up to 5.4 GB, which means you’ll be able to enjoy high-definition content of hours directly from the IGTV app.
What do you think about IGTV? Do you like to film and share videos via YouTube, Facebook or Instagram? Do you prefer vertical or horizontal format? Let us know in the comments!