The latest feature in mobile video content to hit our screens is IGTV, which was announced by Instagram’s co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, on June 20th at a live press event in San Francisco.
The feature enables users to upload and share long-form, vertical video with their audience, with major influencers being able to create videos for up to an hour long, while the majority of creators get an extension of up to 10 minutes video content (with the previous limit, being 1 minute).
IGTV can be accessed either through the main Instagram app, or via the stand-alone app feature, and once open, video starts rolling with a special section curated just For You, in addition to more content being searchable via the Following, Popular, and Continue Watching tabs, in addition to a search bar.
While there has been discussion that IGTV is lining up as a strong competitor to YouTube, I do feel at this stage that there literally is no comparison, looking at it, as the two platforms are so different, and the likes of YouTube and Vimeo, and such, would still be favoured for those who want to share video and film content, in widescreen, HD, 16:9 ratio format.
Browsing through the content on IGTV that’s already out, there are creators who are sharing videos that are optimised for full-screen horizontal viewing, so you still have to flip your phone’s orientation to view it properly, in addition to it being a permanent place to house one’s Instagram Stories.
Either way, I do have yet to post something to IGTV myself.
In the meantime, these are some of my favourite videos, that I’ve come across on the new feature.
Camila Mendes – Nylon Interview
Murad Osmann – Follow Me To Ancient Egypt
Conquering Self-Doubt With Priyanka Chopra – Allure
Earth Views From The Space Station – NASA
You Are A Miracle – Nikita Gill
