• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

Following the launch of its first native iPad app, Instagram is taking its popular in-app video format Reels to even bigger screens by launching on Amazon Fire TV.

The “IG for TV” app will be personalized to individual viewers, with Instagram’s content algorithm suggesting Reels based on the user’s unique viewing history. According to Instagram’s announcement, users can also search Reels on the TV app by clicking into popular content categories, including comedy, music, and lifestyle.

In October this year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced at Bloomberg's “Screentime” event that the social-media company was starting to explore TV opportunities, likening its pursuit to YouTube’s successful takeover of traditional in-home TV viewing.

“We’d like to figure out how to make sure that we show up in a compelling way on all the relevant devices,” Mosseri said at the time.

YouTube currently dominates TV in the U.S. with a 12.4% share in distribution and command over 24% of U.S. CTV streaming minutes as of April 2025, according to estimates from MoffettNathanson Research.

By launching a TV-first app for Amazon Fire TV subscribers, Instagram will be competing directly with YouTube by attempting to persuade users to embrace short-form content on a larger in-home format.

Furthermore, IG on TV will run back-to-back Reels without the viewer needing to select the next video, offering users a similar viewing experience that they’re used to on mobile.