Instagram pushed out a big update to its IGTV app Monday focused on helping users discover more content from popular creators directly in the app.
IGTV, Instagram’s house for all long-form video, hasn’t been nearly as popular as the regular IG app, but Monday’s update hopes to change that by putting a bigger focus on creators and discovery.
Starting today, when you open the IGTV app you’ll see a completely redesigned homepage that features a creator up top. The creator suggestions are different for each user and is based on who you follow and what content Instagram thinks you’ll like.
IGTV is also getting its own Discover tab. Before today’s update, the app would only display videos from the accounts you already follow along with some popular videos. Now you can find new content to watch faster which might keep people in the IGTV app longer.
As an Instagram-addict, the only time I ever use the IGTV app is when someone posts a video that’s longer than a minute and you’re forced to watch on IGTV. Even then, a lot of times I just watch the first minute of the video and then move onto the next piece of content rather than dealing with IGTV. If Instagram can figure out a way to remove the pain points of transitioning between the apps, it could go a long way towards getting more people to use IGTV and make it a better YouTube competitor.
Other additions in the update include a new hands-free recording option. The regular Instagram app has had that feature for a while now. Also, when you post an IGTV video to your story, instead of showing a freeze-frame of the video it will actually play the first 15-seconds which will hopefully make users want to interact with it more. Instagram also updated its main app today to make Live Stream viewing from the web possible.
