Instagram has announced a new app, IGTV. The app is a mobile TV platform that takes elements from YouTube, Snapchat and other platforms and puts them all in one place. Facebook stock is rocketing as the Wall Street smell more places that Facebook (Instagram's owner) can put premium inventory prices on. More than that you can buy ads on Facebook, Messenger..pretty much any Facebook product (Whatsapp is ad-free for now). The result? Another app that young people will download thanks to the Facebook ecosystem that made Instagram famous in the first place. Additionally, the main Instagram app will feature a dedicated IGTV section (think Snap's Discovery section).
So what's on it? User-generated content up to an hour, specifically made content for IGTV and probably series and re-runs eventually. Vertical video, lots of recommendations underneath and follow functionality from screenshots at the launch event. The real loser here is YouTube. If Instagram gets creators over to IGTV with the right gloves and money it'll cause YouTube a lot of headaches in the short and long term. Creators that are currently annoyed with the frequent changes happening on YouTube. Equally, if Instagram snags original series content eyeballs with IGTV Netflix and Hulu will need to respond. Confirmed channels and people who will be on at launch include people like Kevin Hart, Kim Kardashian West, Selena Gomez, Lele Pons, Susie Shu to name a few.
