Observed Signal · Jun 22, 2026 · Product Update · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Instagram Expands TV App with Episodic, Long-Form and Live
Instagram is expanding its TV app to support longer-form video, episodic series and live creator experiences as it pushes to reach more living-room viewers. The app, which launched last year, is being rolled out to Samsung TVs and is already available on Amazon Fire and Google TVs. New TV-app features include channels curated to users’ creator and topic interests, the ability to cast Reels and saved content from phones, support for horizontal videos, and Stories viewing inside the TV app. The move follows Meta testing a “Series” feature for Reels to make serialized content easier to follow, and signals Instagram’s intent to compete more directly with streaming services for TV attention.
A major social platform (Meta/Instagram) expanding into TV/CTV with longer-form, episodic and Live formats creates new living-room inventory and content formats, affecting ad buyers, publishers and the competitive landscape among streaming and walled-garden platforms.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Instagram is experimenting with longer-form videos, episodic series, and Live TV for its TV app.
- The Instagram TV app is being rolled out to Samsung TVs and is already available on Amazon Fire and Google TVs.
- New TV-app features include channels, phone casting of Reels and Saved content, horizontal-video support, and Stories viewing.
- Meta is testing a “Series” feature for Reels to help users follow serialized content on Instagram and Facebook.
- Instagram originally launched its TV app in December 2025 (referenced as launching last year in the article).
Connected Companies & Entities
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Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Instagram expands TV app with Channels and horizontal video
Meta is expanding "Instagram for TV" to more platforms — including Samsung smart TVs in the U.S. — and adding features designed for shared, big‑screen viewing. The update introduces 'Channels' to surface videos that groups can watch together, makes it easier to cast Reels from a phone to the TV, adds a dedicated area for horizontal videos, and signals experimentation with longer-form, episodic and live content made for televisions. Meta frames the move as a response to YouTube's dominance on the big screen and says it is still in an experimental phase learning how social video should look on TV. The changes aim to help creators reach TV audiences with content formatted and structured for horizontal, multi‑viewer experiences.
Instagram Plans TV App for Reels on TV
Instagram is evaluating a dedicated TV app to bring Reels to the living room, per Bloomberg's Screentime conference in Los Angeles. The plan would extend the platform’s video content beyond mobile, following TikTok’s earlier TV-app experiment, which launched on Amazon Fire TV in 2021, was discontinued in early 2025, and announced a new TV-app in June 2025. Meta CEO Adam Mosseri said the trend reflects viewers moving to bigger screens and that platforms must adapt. Meta notes roughly 3 billion people use Instagram monthly and emphasizes creator content, short clips, and Reels, rather than pursuing expensive licenses or original series. Instagram previously launched IGTV in 2018, which was shut down in 2022. Separately, Instagram is promoting the Rings Awards to honor 25 creators, highlighting creator-led content. A final decision on the TV app remains pending.
Instagram for TV Comes to Google Users
Instagram is testing a new TV-focused experience called Instagram for TV, bringing Reels to living room screens. The rollout begins in the United States via Amazon Fire TV, with a dedicated Instagram for TV section and a television-style experience that sorts Reels by interest channels (sports, new music, travel). Users can log in with up to five accounts, or set up a dedicated Instagram for TV account, and control the experience from a smartphone. The interface includes channel-based navigation, creator search, auto-play with sound, and features like Shared Feeds and improved feed sharing. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg cited Reels' annual run rate at over $50 billion, and the company envisions broader reach and, later, TV ads and shopping ads in the TV context. YouTube is a primary competitor; Nielsen notes YouTube is used more on TV in the US than mobile. The test is US-only for now, with plans to expand to more devices and countries. Reels currently underpins a large portion of Instagram and Facebook usage time (over 50%).
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