Less than two years ago, Instagram launched IGTV.
Now the platform is now getting rid of the the IGTV button from its home which, means users need to tap the IGTV tab inside Instagram Explore to view long-form video.
Instagram users don’t need to have the IGTV app to watch longer videos, as the IGTV experience is embedded in the main app and can be accessed via the Explore page, promo stickers in Stories, and profile tabs. But you can always download the IGTV stand-alone app if you care for it.
“As we’ve continued to work on making it easier for people to create and discover IGTV content, we’ve learned that most people are finding IGTV content through previews in Feed, the IGTV channel in Explore, creators’ profiles and the standalone app. Very few are clicking into the IGTV icon in the top right corner of the home screen in the Instagram app” a spokesperson told TechCrunch. “…we always aim to keep Instagram as simple as possible, so we’re removing this icon based on these learnings and feedback from our community.”
However, creators are unable to monetize the feature as they don’t earn directly from IGTV videos. Users on competitive platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and YouTube get benefits from ad revenue. Instagram needs to attract more must-see videos by helping creators get paid for their art or invest into buying high quality programming like Snapchat Discover’s Show.
The combination of lack of monetization and stellar view counts lead yo several content creators refraining from the usage of IGTV, which mean there is lack of content making the feature is surely not as interesting as other video sharing platforms.
TikTok saw 80X more downloads than IGTV since Instagram launched the app 18 months ago pic.twitter.com/mvjnOTELp3
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) 18 January 2020
A juicy piece of information as per TechCrunch’s report is that “…according to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, the IGTV app has gotten just over a million downloads in the United States. TikTok has gotten nearly 80 times that many downloads in the same region in the same period of time.” Not great news for Facebook owned platform Instagram.
It was easy to see IGTV as more of a YouTube competitor when it launched, but TikTok’s rapid rise to prominence has recently shaken the Story, photo and video-sharing platform.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
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