Instagram decided to take on YouTube when it launched its IGTV video platform in June of last year as it crossed the one billion-user milestone. It's essentially a standalone app for recording and sharing videos up to one hour long, though content can also be viewed from Instagram's Explore tab.
Since launching the feature, Instagram has broadened the visibility of IGTV content across its platform by allowing users to post their favorite videos to Stories. Today, those videos have become even more prominent as Instagram starts showing IGTV previews on its main feed for users.
Tapping the one-minute preview will direct users to the full video in IGTV, marking Instagram's growing effort to draw more viewership to its video platform. The company has yet to disclose the total number of users that are watching IGTV videos on a daily or monthly basis. A representative from Instagram issued the following statement to Variety:
“With IGTV previews in Feed, we’re making it even easier to discover and watch the latest video content from your favorite follows."
The new update is part of Facebook's wider effort to put video content front and center across its ecosystem. Late last month during an earnings call, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will also be working to bolster the audience for its Watch video platform, among its other plans. Whether the latest change will get more users to watch IGTV content remains to be seen.
Source: Instagram (Twitter) via Variety
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