Instagram has announced a change to the way it handles video on its platform, combining IGTV and feed videos to create (drum roll, please): Instagram Video.
Appearing alongside the change is a new Video tab on your profile – this is where the combined video format will now live.
Instagram says these changes make it easier for people to discover new video content.
“We love that our creator community has embraced video as a key format to tell their stories, entertain, and connect with their audiences, and that’s why we want to make it even simpler to create and discover videos on Instagram,” it says in a blog post.
Uploading videos is still done the same way you’re used to, only now you have the option to trim the video, add filters and tag people and/or location.
There’s also change to cross-posting vids via Stories or DMs.
Video previews in your feed will now be 60 seconds long, unless the video is eligible for ads. If it’s eligible for ads, the preview will remain at 15 seconds long.
Speaking of ads, with Instagram Video, IGTV Ads are now called Instagram In-Stream video ads.
“Eligible creators can still monetise their long-form content, and brands can reach audiences engaging with long-form video,” Instagram says. This can’t be longer than 60 seconds, however.
“Video is the home for visual storytelling. We’re excited to see how creators on Instagram continue to make standout content that inspires people to create themselves.”
Last week, Instagram’s parent Facebook (who is kind of dealing with a lot right now, a real lot) announced it was porting over IG’s Reels feature for users in the U.S..
The Mark Zuckerberg empire launched Reels on Instagram in July last year. The company used Instagram to go after the TikTok market, just like it did with Instagram Stories to keep Snapchat at bay. Instagram had introduced the YouTube clone IGTV way prior, in June 2018 to be exact.
The new insta video feature will be available to all users.