Two weeks ago, we came across a report which stated that Facebook-owned Instagram might soon allow users to post hour-long videos in vertical format. Well, that report has turned out to be true, as Instagram at an event yesterday announced IGTV – a standalone app for “long-form” videos that can be up to one hour long.
Yes, that’s right. Instagram just launched a standalone app that allows sharing videos that are up to one hour long. For those unaware, until now, Instagram allowed sharing of videos that were up to one minute long. Hence, with the launch of IGTV, you will soon start seeing videos that are up to an hour long.
But wait, that’s not it. The videos uploaded on IGTV will be vertical, because Instagram says that the app is “built for how you actually use your phone” – which is holding it in vertical orientation. That said, IGTV will have channels which is similar to the channels we have on YouTube. You can either follow a creator’s channel or create your own channel to post videos that are up to an hour long.
Using IGTV is also very simple, because once you open the app, it will start playing videos posted by the channels you are following. Moreover, the app also has different tabs like ‘For You’, ‘Following’, ‘Popular’ and ‘Continue Watching’. All of which we think are self-explanatory. That said, just like Instagram, you can drop likes, comments and send videos to friends in Direct from inside IGTV.
https://www.facebook.com/InstagramEnglish/videos/2021766097857435/
Having said that, even though IGTV is a standalone app, if you are already on Instagram, you will be to watch videos posted on IGTV from within the Instagram app. The IGTV icon will appear above the Stories bar right next to the Direct shortcut (that paper plane icon).
It’s clear that with IGTV, Instagram is going after YouTube. But, the question is, will it really be able to compete with a mammoth that YouTube is? That’s something only time can tell. But we personally don’t think YouTube has anything to worry about right now, unless and until more number of popular creators and celebs join IGTV and start sharing videos on a regular basis.
IGTV is available both on Android and iOS. You can head over to the links given below to give it a try. Oh, and yes, apart from announcing IGTV, Instagram also announced that it now has 1 Billion users.
Download Links: IGTV for Android | IGTV for iOS
