Instagram is doing away with IGTV videos — first announced in 2018 as a long-form YouTube competitor — by combining IGTV videos and feed videos into a single format that will henceforth be known simply as Instagram Video.
Feed videos will no longer have 60-second time limits, and video previews in feeds — which were formerly 15 seconds max — have been extended to 60 seconds, Instagram says, though they will remain at 15 seconds if the video is eligible for ads.
Additionally, when watching videos on Instagram, viewers will now be able to tap anywhere on the video to launch a fullscreen experience — and then continue scrolling to discover other videos surfaced by Instagram’s algorithm.
Subscribe to get the latest creator news
Instagram Video will also live in a new tab on users’ profiles called ‘Video’ (pictured above). Reels, Instagram’s TikTok copycat, will not be considered Instagram Videos and will continue to exist in a separate tab.
While Instagram is doing away with the IGTV moniker, eligible creators will still be able to monetize what would have been IGTV videos, with IGTV Ads now being dubbed Instagram In-Stream Video Ads. And on the metrics front, Instagram says it is merging feed post insights with video insights into one combined metric.
The Verge notes that the standalone IGTV app — which has notably been slow to amass users — has been renamed Instagram TV, and will continue to serve as a destination for people to visit and continue watching Instagram videos.
Finally, amid the evolution of its video format, Instagram is also rolling out new editing features, including the ability to trim and filter videos, as well as tag people and locations, the company said.
