We knew this was coming.
Instagram on Tuesday launched the Instagram for TV app, which allows users to watch Reels on Amazon Fire TV devices in the US. The company said it plans to add more features and make the app available on more devices and countries in the coming months.
In June, Kaya broke the news that Instagram and TikTok were both working on TV apps, following YouTube’s success on living room screens. As you can see from the table above, social media TV apps aren’t exactly new, but they have had several stops and starts over the years.
It’s not just YouTube’s dominance on TVs that’s pushing social platforms down this road. As user and ad revenue growth becomes harder to maintain—and Instagram is now video-focused—these companies are eyeing bigger screens to attract older audiences and win streaming ad dollars. Reels now make up over half the time people spend on Instagram, according to data from Meta.
But just because Instagram builds it, doesn’t mean viewers and advertisers will come. Just look at its ill-fated attempt at a standalone mobile app for long-form videos, IGTV, which the company shuttered in 2022. TikTok also launched a TV app in 2020, but shut it down earlier this year.
YouTube’s TV app has also been around since 2007 when it launched on the first generation Apple TV device. But it wasn’t until recently that it started to gain real traction among users and big TV advertisers. Now, TVs are now the primary viewing device for YouTube content in the US, according to the company.
Short, vertical Reels aren’t as well suited to viewing on TV sets as long, horizontal YouTube videos. YouTube, of course, has said people also watch Shorts on TV. Still, we can count on one hand the people we know who do that.
YouTube has tried to make the experience better, including allowing users to flip through Shorts with their remote, similar to how they’d flip through feeds on their phone.
Instagram is already taking notes. The company on Tuesday said new features could include being able to use a phone as a remote and a more “intuitive” way to channel surf. It’s also planning to introduce a shared feed with friends.
TikTok, it’s your move.
In other news…
The Round Up
Netflix announced a partnership with iHeartMedia to bring new video episodes of more than 15 of its most popular podcasts, including Charlamagne tha God’s “The Breakfast Club” and Chelsea Handler’s “Dear Chelsea” to the streaming service. New episodes will debut on Netflix early next year in the US. The deal, which also includes some past episodes too, is another move by Netflix to push into podcasts.
Merriam-Webster announced its word of the year: Slop. It defines slop as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” We prefer this over Oxford’s word of the year, rage bait. In Thursday’s newsletter, we’ll tell you how we feel about Merriam-Webster’s choice in 2023: Authentic.
Pinterest is acquiring tvScientific, a connected TV advertising firm. Under the deal, advertisers will be able to use Pinterest data to target and measure their connected TV ad campaigns. It could be a win-win for Pinterest as it looks to expand its business and for CTV advertising, which is hard to measure from a sales standpoint.
The Washington Post’s new personalized AI podcasts are off to a rocky start. Issues have ranged from pronunciation errors to major changes to stories, such as making up quotes and inserting commentary, Semafor reported.
Mirelo, a Berlin-based startup building AI that adds soundtracks to videos, raised $41 million in seed funding led by Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. The startup sees an opportunity as many AI video generating tools don’t include audio features. “It’s a bit like silent movies versus talkies, right? It does make quite a difference,” co-founder CJ Simon-Gabriel told TechCrunch.
Another Normal Day (also known as AND Media), a new venture-like media company and studio launched on Monday. Founded by Christian Tom, Aisha Shah and Landon Morgado, it aims to provide funding and production support for left-leaning creators. All three co-founders previously worked on creator partnerships in the Biden White House. The launch comes as Democrats have said they need to better mobilize and support left-wing influencers the way Republicans do on the right.
The Independent Media Collective, a community for independent creators, managers and agents to work with each other and brands, launched last week.
Kajabi, a startup best known for online courses, partnered with fintech company Parafin to launch Kajabi Capital, which offers its creators faster access to financing, such as loans.
Creator Moves
Alex Cooper is launching a new energy drink called Unwell Energy in Target at the end of the month. Over the weekend, she hosted a pop-up event in New York to promote the launch.
Ben Shelton, the American tennis player who ranks among the top 10 in the world, launched a YouTube channel. It will include a series called “The Long Game” that follows his 2026 season.
Warner Bailey, founder of media company and meme account Assistants vs. Agents, signed with UTA. Bailey, a former talent agent assistant, also organizes events and panels and writes a newsletter and job board to help people who want to work in Hollywood.
Talent Tracker
Charlotte Stahl, who was TikTok’s head of music partnerships for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, left the company after more than five years.
Colin & Samir are hiring a story producer to help them develop content.
Brand Buzz
Beats is working with top streamer IShowSpeed, and will launch a campaign during one of his livestreams.
Hot Wheels is featuring YouTuber Michelle Khare in a commercial. “This wasn’t your average ‘creator reciting talking points,’’” Khare wrote in a LinkedIn post.
