Meta-owned Instagram is pushing further into the living rooms of its users by releasing a new app for Apple TV devices this week.
The app became available in the Apple App Store over the weekend, and allows users of Apple TV devices to stream Instagram Reels and other video-based content on what is presumably the biggest screen in a typical home.
The release of the Instagram app for Apple TV comes several months after Meta released similar apps for Google TV (Android TV) and Samsung’s Tizen-powered smart TVs, and about a year after its first app became available for Amazon’s Fire TV ecosystem.
Instagram describes its television experience as a way for users to watch videos with friends and family, positioning the application as a shared entertainment service rather than one intended exclusively for individual mobile viewing.
Its initial connected television experience emphasized Reels, with short videos organized into channels based on viewer interests. Videos played automatically, providing an experience similar to traditional television programming rather than requiring users to navigate individual social media posts.
The launch of the Instagram app for various TVs comes as social video platforms look at different ways to chip into YouTube’s lead in the living room: The Google-owned streaming service captured more than 15 percent of time spent with TV in August, according to Nielsen’s latest “The Gauge” report, and accounted for more than 44 percent of TV advertising consumption across streaming platforms, Comscore reported last week.
While YouTube has pushed more living room users to watch its Shorts content, Instagram has gone in the other direction, unlocking new features that allows its users to upload long-form video content that plays out on TV screens and smartphones alike. Instagram also allows its users to “go live,” streaming real-time video from their phones or professional studios, and is in the process of rolling out broader support for episodic video content.
