Instagram launched its television application on Samsung TV devices on Monday, marking a major expansion of its living room footprint alongside new tests for horizontal video and episodic programming. The Meta-owned platform is shifting away from its traditional vertical-only format on television screens to better accommodate traditional viewing habits. The company aims to capture longer viewing sessions from users.
The updates represent a concerted effort by Instagram to capture living room audiences and compete more directly with established streaming platforms. Previously restricted to Amazon Fire and Google TV, the expansion to Samsung TV significantly broadens the application's potential reach. The company is introducing experimental formats for creators to use this expanded footprint.
The platform's expansion to Samsung TV devices marks a major distribution milestone. Prior to this release, the Instagram for TV application was only accessible to users on Amazon Fire and Google TV devices. According to The Hollywood Reporter's repor, adding Samsung's smart TV ecosystem targets millions of additional active screens.
Samsung's dominant position in the global smart TV market provides Instagram with an immediate scale advantage. The integration allows users to log into their accounts directly from their television sets. This setup enables a seamless transition from mobile browsing to big-screen viewing of creator content.
To better fit widescreen television sets, Instagram is testing horizontal video support. The coverage of the feature explains that this test allows users to view social videos in a standard horizontal orientation. This represents a departure from the vertical framing that has defined the mobile application.
Historically, vertical video on televisions resulted in large black bars on either side of the screen. By testing horizontal formats, Instagram is optimizing the visual experience for the living room. The change could make the platform more appealing to traditional video producers who shoot primarily in widescreen.
In addition to the layout changes, Instagram plans to experiment with longer-form storytelling and episodic series. The company is working with creators to develop multi-part video projects designed specifically for television viewing. These tests will also include live TV experiences tailored for creators looking to broadcast to larger screens.
These episodic formats represent an attempt to mirror traditional television programming structures. By encouraging creators to build recurring series, Instagram hopes to establish routine viewing habits among its users. The strategy aligns with broader industry trends where social video platforms increasingly mimic traditional television networks.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Instagram Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons described television as the next frontier for the social network. Lyons stated that the company is constantly evolving how it helps creators find audiences. The move signals a strategic pivot toward capturing passive, long-form viewing time.
"Ultimately Instagram is all about connecting people around creativity," said Lyons told. "We’re all about helping creators find their audiences and we’re constantly evolving how we do that in order to meet [their] needs. And I really think that TV is in so many ways the next frontier of that for us."
This strategic shift comes as social media platforms face intense competition for user attention. By moving onto television screens with native horizontal support, Instagram is positioning itself to capture ad revenue traditionally reserved for linear television and streaming giants.
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