Instagram is bringing Reels to the big screen, starting with Amazon Fire TV

Instagram is expanding its Reels offering beyond mobile, the social network announced Tuesday. The company is trialling IG for TV, a new experience that lets you watch Reels on your TV, starting with Amazon Fire TV.

By bringing Reels to TVs, Instagram can better compete with YouTube, which… It pretty much dominates the TV space. Instagram likely wants viewers to switch to its TV app while watching content on the couch, similar to flipping through TV channels. For example, you might be watching something on Netflix and decide that you don’t have the energy to care about a movie or episode, and decide to watch Reels instead.

IG for TV is personalized for each user, showing Reels based on the content and creators you enjoy on the Instagram app. Reels will be organized into channels and categories based on topics like comedy, music, and lifestyle, making it easier to explore different types of videos.

The reels will also play automatically, so you won’t have to keep scrolling to see what’s next. You still have the option to move to the next reel. You can like, view comments and reshare the reels.

Users have the option to pair IG for TV with their Instagram app and add up to five accounts in one household. Or they can choose to create a new account just to watch TV.

It should be noted that IG for TV should not be confused with IGTV, which is the Instagram app for watching long-form content from before Being closed In 2022.

The launch of the TV app did not come as a surprise, as Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said in October that the company plans to launch a dedicated TV app.

“We are exploring television,” Mosseri said. Screentime event at Bloomberg. “TV is an increasingly important surface, it’s been very important for YouTube (…) and it’s been very important for TikTok. So we want to figure out how to make sure we appear in a compelling way on all the relevant devices.”

Mosseri went on to point out that it was a mistake that the company didn’t explore a TV app earlier, and that he wished they had done so a few years ago.