Instagram Reels are Coming to Your Television
Instagram is testing a new app that allows users to watch Reels on their television, beginning with Amazon Fire TV in the U.S.
In a press release on Tuesday, Meta announced that Instagram is expanding Reels viewing beyond smartphone devices with a test version of “Instagram for TV.” The Meta-owned social platform writes that the pilot is designed to make it easier to watch Reels together on a television and to help the company understand how people want to experience short-form video on a larger screen.
“Today, we’re starting to test Instagram for TV, which brings reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends,” the company says. “We heard that watching reels together is more enjoyable, and this test will help us learn which features make that experience work best on TV.”
The Instagram for TV app is initially available on Amazon’s Fire TV family of devices and is limited to the U.S. Meta says it expects to expand the app to additional devices and countries in the future.
To use Instagram for TV, users need to install the Instagram app on their Amazon Fire TV and sign in. Setup can also be completed through the Settings and activity menu in the mobile Instagram app. According to Instagram, users can add up to five accounts on one TV, allowing different people in a household to have personalized viewing experiences. It is also possible to create a separate Instagram for TV account that is not linked to an existing profile.
Instagram says the TV app is personalized based on the accounts and content a user follows and engages with. Reels are grouped into channels and categories, such as comedy, sports, music, travel, and lifestyle, to make browsing easier. When a Reel is selected, additional Reels play automatically with full sound, without the need to scroll, although viewers can skip to the next video. Instagram for TV also highlights Reels that are popular among a user’s friends and includes a search function. The app allows users to like Reels, view comments, and re-share videos they watch.
By introducing a TV-focused Reels experience, Instagram is moving into a space largely dominated by YouTube. In Meta’s announcement, Instagram writes that it plans to add new features over time, including using a phone as a remote control, additional ways to browse channels, shared feeds with friends, and tools to help users keep up with their favorite creators in one place.
