IGTV: Welcome To Instagram’s Youtube-Like Video Channel
Jennifer Frances — August 2, 2018 — August 2, 2018
Instagram has officially announced its intention of becoming a video platform that lies somewhere between Snapchat and Youtube. The video app and hub will be known as IGTV (Instagram TV) and will support long-form vertical videos.
The video platform will come in two forms: a standalone app in stores and as a section of the IG app. Unlike the current conditions where regular videos run for 60 seconds and stories span 30 seconds, IGTV will support longer and full-screen vertical videos that run for as long as an hour. The app is already up and running and anyone can start uploading their videos.
Why long form vertical videos?
For marketing brands, short stories limit them on how much they can cover. A longer concept had to be broken down into smaller portions and posted differently making everything unnecessarily complicated. Mignoni, Bacardi’s director of creative excellence admits that there is a need for both long and short form videos as they allow marketers to choose what works best for various narratives.
Snapchat has had unprecedented success with its long-form vertical videos, and it appears every celebrity wants to try it out. Maroon 5, Nav, Lil Uzi Vert, Taylor Swift and many other celebrities are resorting to vertical videos. This shows just how viral the vertical format has gone. If you check the screenshot below, you’ll realize that most of those videos are merely a few months old.
Instagram is capitalizing on its heavy user base to launch an assault against Snapchat as well as compete for Youtube’s massive population. Although the app is targeting celebrities and video bloggers, anyone can post videos via their channels- similar to Youtube.
The million dollar question is, will Instagram users watch videos that are longer than they are traditionally used to? Well, it’s been reported that Instagram is advising video makers to stick to videos that play for around 8 to 10 minutes. This will make the platform different from traditional TV fare and more like Youtube.
Currently, Snapchat’s 1-2 minutes videos receive roughly 20-30 million views per month. If Instagram TV gets something closer to that, then it might become the top platform for uploading and watching vertical videos.
Regular videos do not shine much on Instagram and Facebook
According to Eric Lam, the CEO of Revfluence-an influencer marketing platform, IGTV is not a radical invention but rather a more natural evolution that sticks to the needs of the users. He went on to say that “people use Facebook for a variety of reasons and not to watch long videos. Introducing such a feature won’t be a natural fit on such social platforms.”
Revfluence research also pointed out that the performance of regular videos (not stories) on Instagram was dimming. The total posts with these videos only makes up for 4% of all branded IG posts.
Vertically oriented videos (mostly stories), on the other hand, continue to witness a steady level of growth. Therefore, it makes sense for Instagram to want to offer more of these videos rather than the conventional horizontal or square formats.
How Instagram TV can transform Business
IGTV will give businesses a chance to express themselves in detail regarding the launch of a new product or service. E-commerce stores, beauty parlors and other companies will be able to create tutorials showing customers how to use a particular product. This will make them an authority in their niche leading to a good bottom line.
Having said all that, we can all agree that Instagram’s IGTV, being an open platform, has the power to tap into the revenue that has been going to YouTube. However, it could be extremely hard for it to outshine Youtube as this platform is home to almost every media.
Do you think Instagram’s IGTV can outshine Youtube? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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