A few weeks ago, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri stated that Instagram was “no longer a photo-sharing app” and noted there would be a huge shift towards video, thanks to competition from major video platforms, YouTube and TikTok.
And now Instagram has made it official, with the merging of its long-form IGTV offering into a more general ‘Instagram Video format,’ which means there's no longer separate IGTV branding. According to Instagram, this will ideally create a more streamlined experience.
“Starting today, we’re combining IGTV and feed videos into one format – Instagram Video,” the social media platform said. “We’re also introducing a new Video tab on your profile, where this combined video format will live, to make it easier for people to discover new video content.”
The new video tab now showcases all of a user’s uploaded video content in one place. The merge also delivers new playback functions, with viewers able to tap anywhere on the video to enter full-screen mode. Additionally, users can keep scrolling “to discover new video content from creators that may interest them”.
Other new features include trimming tools and filters for video clips, location tagging in videos, and updates to video metrics – with video insights and feed post insights combined into one metric for both creators and businesses.
The posting process remains the same, however in-feed previews have changed. Video previews are now 60 seconds long, according to Instagram, unless the video is eligible for ads – in which case, the preview is still 15 seconds.
Finally, the platform has also changed the name of its video ads.
“With Instagram Video, IGTV Ads are now called Instagram In-Stream video ads. Eligible creators can still monetise their long-form content, and brands can reach audiences engaging with long-form video. For businesses interested in boosting their videos to reach more people, videos must be no longer than 60 seconds in length.”
These changes are now being rolled out to all users.
