Instagram introduces IGTV, a long format video app

Instagram introduces IGTV was the headline news yesterday on most Social Media news websites. In total 90’s style, here’s how the launch would have sounded. “Have you ever wanted to share that cool 2 minutes plus epic video clip you made on your phone on but couldn’t share it on Instagram? Or wished that hilarious video you watched on Instagram be a little extra long to get the laughter out of your system? Well, the long wait is over![Dramatic, Bollywood pause…..] Now with Instagram’s IGTV, you can be your own video director, producer and actor! IGTV – Instagram TV!”

Okay, I’ll admit, that’s one of the lamest introductions ever. I digress. Instagram just announced the launch of their long-format video app called IGTV. Here are a few highlights from the event. Credit to C|Net.

What is a long Format Video?

“What are ‘Long-Format’ videos?” You may ask. In layman’s terms, these are videos that usually require much of the viewer’s attention (much like the video above). They are longer than 1 minute and may go to like a an hour long. Think of documentaries, tutorials or explainer videos, or your regular binge-worthy TV shows – these are long format videos. The opposite, obviously would be called Short-Format Videos, much like the TV commercials or the in-stream Facebook Video Ads or the YouTube Pre-roll videos.

How does IGTV work?

There are basically two ways that one can access IGTV. The first is by downloading the standalone app from either Google Play (for android users) or App store (for apple users). Secondly, if you already have an Instagram account you can access it within the app by tapping the TV icon on the top right hand corner next to the DM paper airplane icon. Once in, you have the option to swipe through four feeds: For You, Following, Popular and Continue watching. These feeds or sections, together with a search functionality, sit at the bottom of the screen layered over a video from the “For you” Feed.

The “For You” section features videos that may appeal to the user, based on the content that they have posted themselves. The “Following” section shows videos posted by the user’s followers. The “Popular” section offers a selection of video clips that have been liked by the community, while “Continue Watching” lets users return to videos that they have not finished viewing.

While the app was created to attract content creators, you too can be creator by uploading videos and have your own channel, just like YouTube does. You can then have people follow your channel as well.

Where to download IGTV

Instagram TV can be download on both android and iOS. Click on the buttons below to download the app on both platforms. Have fun in creating your vertical videos.