Instagram wants to be your next TV app: New features bring Reels and Stories to the living room
Instagram is bringing its TV app to Samsung Smart TVs while testing new features such as channels, casting, Stories, and horizontal videos. The move signals the company's growing ambition to compete for living room screen time alongside YouTube, Netflix, and other streaming platforms.
Published By: Deepti Ratnam | Published: Jun 23, 2026, 08:00 AM (IST) | Edited: Jun 23, 2026, 08:01 AM (IST)
Instagram is no longer just a phone app. Instagram for TV is rolling out to Samsung Smart TVs in the U.S. and bringing a slew of new features to make video more social, interactive and TV-friendly. Interest-based channels are added, casting Reels from a phone is supported, Stories on the big screen and experiments with horizontal video are added.
These changes may seem like a common app update at first glance. When taken in the broader sense, however, they show a much bigger picture: Instagram is making a serious play at the living room screen time.
Social networks have been battling to gain attention on smartphones for years. Instagram, it seems, is now aiming to be on TVs, which are the territory that is usually occupied by YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, and other streaming powerhouses.
Instagram for TV is coming to more screens
Instagram said that its TV app is now available in the U.S. to Samsung Smart TVs released in 2020 and later.
The app was already on Amazon Fire TV and Google TV devices. Instagram is now appealing to a substantial audience of connected TV viewers nationwide as Samsung has been added.
The expansion is intended to allow users to view creator videos, Reels and other Instagram content in a much larger format, without having to use a smartphone or tablet.
Instagram started out as a mobile platform, but it thinks that watching on TV is another form of engagement: group-based.
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Instagram believes it's best to watch videos together
The most unique part of this update is Instagram's emphasis on shared viewing.
A number of users already watch videos with friends and family, recommend videos to one another and discuss them as they happen, the company said. The latest features are focused on those behaviors.
Instagram is experimenting with categories based on certain interests, allowing users to easily discover sports, comedy, entertainment, creators and more.
The site also will be partnering with the television for the first time and allowing the ability to cast Reels from a smartphone to a television. Users even can play their video collections, allowing them to share their favorite finds with all in attendance.
Stories are also going to TV screens so that users can see updates from creators and friends, without having to be sitting around a phone.
All this indicates that Instagram is looking to make watching TV a more social experience than a passive one.
Instagram has taken a major step into horizontally shot videos
Instagram has developed its new video strategy around vertical content.
This isn't true of TV screens, though.
So the company is trying a special area in TV app for horizontal videos, acknowledging this. Though this may appear as a minor adjustment, it might have significant effects on both creators and viewers.
Of course, horizontal video is what a TV set is designed for and will make viewing more immersive. It also allows creators to create more long-form, TV-like content that looks more suited for a TV screen than a mobile device.
The move is a sign that Instagram is trying to evolve its platform to accommodate a new context, one that is different from the mobile version.
The video format and episodic content are two possibilities that could alter Instagram.
Instagram's goals are more ambitious than if it was just about moving things to TV screens.
The company is also looking at creating longer-form creator videos which will enable creators to share more in-depth stories and foster deeper connections with viewers.
It is also testing out "episodic" programming that develops over several episodes.
That sounds familiar, as viewers today do with TV shows and streaming content.
If it works it would help push people back to view content on the platform again, which would make Instagram a platform where people may watch more content in the future.
This may create new revenue streams and formats for creators
It will be Instagram's biggest gamble yet using Live on TV.
Instagram is also testing a new Live on TV feature.
The idea would be to have creator livestreams appearing directly on television screens, so that people could watch the live events, discussions, performances, interviews, and creator broadcasts on a bigger television.
This would have a profound impact on the way the audience interacts with live content.
Users could come together with friends and family and watch the same event at the same time, rather than watching it on their own device.
The feature also brings Instagram into the domain of television and broadcast services that have been traditionally dominated by broadcasters, streaming services and live television.
Why is Instagram doing this now?
This growth is not an incidental.
A screen time fight has erupted in the tech world
YouTube is among the top choices on connected TVs. TikTok is still driving for the longer video format. Service providers are vying with one another to capture viewers' interest, and social media platforms are trying to find new methods to keep people hooked on their services.
Instagram's TV initiative seems to be a direct reaction to those trends.
Instagram isn't just trying for mobile use, it's trying to follow users wherever they go for content. The platform, which now features TV-focused features and has grown to televisions, is trying to be a mash-up of social network, creator platform and entertainment hub.
Instagram is aiming to transform Instagram's social video look on the largest screen in your home.
Will Instagram beat out YouTube and Netflix?
This is likely the most important question that has been asked with this update.
YouTube is already the leader in connected TV viewing, and has already amassed a huge library of long-form content. Streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and others provide professionally made videos, movies and documentaries.
Instagram, on the other hand, has a different angle: social discovery.
Instagram users aren't just viewing content; they're finding creators, following influencers, posting videos to their followers, and interacting with communities. Instagram is not just about viewing content; it's about discovering creators, following influencers, sharing videos with friends, and interacting with communities.
Instagram will have to make a case for users to turn that social interaction from smartphone into television.
If the company is successful it could establish a new category between traditional streaming and social media.
This would place Instagram in a very spot-on niche in today's crowded entertainment world.
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