By: Nick Gambino
Instagram has just announced a YouTube competitor app called IGTV. The long-form video app is part of an overall plan by the social media platform to take over the world by using mind-controlling influencers. Or maybe they’re just trying to make money by creating more content. Really it could go either way.
IGTV is both a standalone app and a feature inside the Instagram app itself. Users can post vertical videos of themselves lasting up to 10 minutes long. This is a lot longer than the 60 seconds Insty has capped videos up to this point.
10 minutes allows IGTV to reserve a seat at the competitors table with YouTube, Vimeo, etc. If you browse through YouTube, you’ll notice most popular videos range between 5 and 10 minutes. Influencers with a larger following will have a 1-hour limit on their video, allowing them to really go for it on visual content instead of just sharing snippets.
1-hour video capability could open up Instagram users to uploading interviews, long tutorials, etc. The only caveat is it has to be pre-recorded. IGTV doesn’t currently support live videos, though it was suggested that this could make its way to the platform in the future.
We won’t see any ads for now, but at the launch event, Kevin Systrom, the company’s CEO, said this would be something they would most likely add in the future as well. This would allow content creators to start making money through shared profits. Though many already make moolah from ad posts made for sponsors.
The vertical video aesthetic is meant to more closely approximate the way we use our phones on the regular, meaning we mostly hold our phones vertically. And unlike other apps like YouTube, it’s meant to start playing video immediately instead of waiting for you to browse and select. As soon as you launch the app, you’ll see video.
Much like the Explore tab, you can see videos that are popular as well as content created by those you follow.
IGTV is available for iOS and Android devices or you can just check it out in your Instagram app now. Whether you use the new app or through Instagram directly, you won’t have to set up a new account but will use your current IG login.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.
