Instagram is making its biggest push yet into the living room. The company launched a wave of new features for its smart TV app this week, which runs on Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Samsung Smart TVs. Users can now watch disappearing Stories and horizontal videos alongside Reels — all designed for a bigger screen.
Soon Instagram plans to roll out longform episodic content and TV-focused “live creator experiences.” It’s a clear attempt to compete with YouTube and the growing number of microdrama platforms.
The strategy shift is notable. Instagram has always been a phone-first app — something you check while waiting for an elevator or lying in bed. Putting it on TV means betting that people want to share Instagram content with others in the same room, not just scroll alone.
Some features make sense, like casting Reels from your phone to the TV. Others feel more awkward — Stories look strange on widescreen displays, and navigating them with a remote isn’t as intuitive as swiping. Instagram seems to know this, which is why it’s testing a dedicated widescreen content section.
Microdrama platforms are already a booming market, with revenue expected to hit $14 billion by year’s end. Instagram’s massive user base gives it a natural advantage, but convincing creators to produce longform content for the platform is a different challenge.
With 3 billion monthly users, Instagram clearly has the audience. Whether they want to watch it on their TV is the real question.
