Instagram Video Launched; Combines IGTV, Feed Videos Under Single Format

Instagram is merging IGTV — its long-form video format — and feed videos on the platform into Instagram Video. The Facebook-owned app will display a new Video tab on the app that displays all video content under one umbrella. Video creators will now get handy features such as trimming, filters, as well as people and location tagging. Also, users can cross-post their videos via Stories and share them as direct messages on the app. With the latest update, video previews on an Instagram feed will now be 60 seconds long.

Facebook on October 5 announced the rollout of Instagram Video and the launch of new features on the social media platform via a blog post. The new Video tab on the app will help users discover new content on the platform more easily. Users can continue to upload videos on Instagram in the same way from the camera roll by clicking on the plus (+) button in the top right corner of the home page. Users can also trim videos, add different filters, and tag people and locations on Instagram Video. The video previews in the main feed will have a duration of 60 seconds. In case of advertisements, the preview duration will be 15 seconds. To enter fullscreen, users can now tap anywhere on the video while watching it.

Facebook has also modified the IGTV advertisements as Instagram In-Stream video ads. The social media giant confirmed that eligible creators can continue to monetise their long-form content, and brands can reach audiences engaging with their videos. "For businesses interested in boosting their videos to reach more people, videos must be no longer than 60 seconds in length", the blog post added.

The IGTV feature was introduced back in 2018 to help create and share long-form videos. Earlier this month, Facebook announced a set of new features including cross-app group chats on Instagram and Facebook Messenger, new group typing indicators, and polls in Instagram DMs. The cross-app group feature chat allows people to start group chats between their Instagram and Messenger contacts. The group typing indicators show when multiple people are typing. Additionally, Instagram has modified the existing Watch Together feature to allow users to watch Reels and IGTV content directly from the Instagram feed together with friends.