With the new-age demand of video content and not many competitors globally, Instagram has decided to compete with YouTube by launching its new venture IGTV. After launching the ‘Stories’ feature where users could upload short videos that last for 24 hours, the new IGTV allows its users to upload videos of length 1 hour.
During the launch of IGTV last week at San Francisco, the CEO of Facebook owned Instagram Kevin Systrom said, “It’s time when video uploading experience should move forward and evolve. IGTV is targeting video creators to upload long-form videos”. With this it is very clear that Instagram is planning a head-on competition with YouTube. Recently Instagram reportedly crossed a billion users globally and IGTV has a good scope for content creators to reach a wide audience through it.
Accessibility
IGTV can be accessed from a button on the Instagram homepage and it also has a separate standalone application as well. On clicking the IGTV button on Instagram app or by visiting the dedicated application users get to see the popular videos across the network. As per the official blog posted by Instagram, IGTV will spotlight popular videos generally of Instagram celebrities, verified handles, and various other creators with large following.
Design and Model of IGTV
IGTV is believed to be a competitor for YouTube but it will be ad free. The design and model of IGTV is based on the understanding of user behavior that Instagram users would like to know content creators in a better way. Say for instance a user watches the story of a dish posted by a chef. With the Instagram stories feature, the user can see the short video of the dish being made, but with IGTV the user can see the entire cooking process and get to know all details. The model of IGTV is such that users get engaged to it completely and not opt out to its competitors for browsing videos.
What’s Special for Content Creators?
There are several mobile vloggers and content creators who use their smartphone to create engaging content and IGTV is apt for them. Currently IGTV supports videos that are shot in vertical format only. This can be beneficial for content creators using mobile, as many smartphone users have a tendency to shoot videos vertically. This can also be a demerit for certain creators mostly the ones migrating from YouTube, where the landscape mode videos are a trend. But then to adapt to a wider audience this can be worked out using several software as well. Within the IGTV app the users can browse wide range of longer-form videos by just a swipe.
Instagram has evolved considerably from what it was in the beginning, from initial days of uploading pictures with filters to Instagram stories and now to IGTV. With the growing social media generation across the globe losing interest in television, Instagram has an opportunity to become a mobile TV. It has all the potential to become a reliable place for users to watch engaging content on the go.
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