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

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

By bringing Reels to TVs, Instagram can better compete with YouTube, which largely 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 could be watching something on Netflix and decide you don’t have the attention span for a movie or episode, and decide to watch Reels instead.

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

Reels will also play automatically, so you won’t have to keep scrolling to watch what’s next. You still have the option to skip to the next Reel.

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

It’s worth noting that IG for TV shouldn’t be confused with IGTV, which was Instagram’s app for watching long-form content before being shut down in 2022.

The launch of the TV app doesn’t come as a surprise, as Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in October that the company was planning a dedicated TV app.

“We’re exploring TV,” Mosseri said at Bloomberg’s Screentime event. “TV is an increasingly important surface, it’s been very important for YouTube […] it’s been very important for TikTok. So we’d like to figure out how to make sure that we show up in a compelling way on all the relevant devices.”

Mosseri went on to note that it was a mistake for the company not to have explored a TV app earlier, and that he wishes they had done so a few years ago.