Instagram is expanding beyond mobile screens to the living room by bringing short-form Reels to the biggest display in the house. The platform announced a pilot of Instagram for TV, an app that streams Reels on connected TVs. At launch, it’s available on Amazon’s Fire TV devices and currently limited to the United States, with plans to broaden device support and market coverage next year.
Will people actually adopt Instagram for TV? Instagram says there’s clear interest in watching Reels on a larger screen. “We’ve heard a lot of demand from people on Instagram to watch Reels on TV,” said Tessa Lyons-Laing, vice president of product at Instagram. “People often gather with friends to watch Reels together, and it’s a fun way to connect over this content.”
Initially, the app will run without ads, though that may change in the future as the company weighs monetization options, Lyons-Laing noted.
Amazon Fire TV VP Aidan Marcuss commented that the launch marks a continued push to bring entertainment to the biggest screens in homes, praising the Instagram team for delivering an engaging experience and expressing excitement about being the first platform to offer it.
Instagram for TV is distinct from the earlier IGTV initiative. IGTV, which debuted in 2018, aimed to encourage longer Instagram videos (up to 15 minutes) but was never designed for TV screens and was discontinued in 2022 as Instagram doubled down on Reels, Meta’s short-form format. With Instagram for TV, Reels are now positioned for HDTV viewing to capture larger-screen engagement.
The service promises a personalized experience, tailoring content to the accounts and creators a user follows and interacts with. On the connected-TV app, users can browse through channels and categories—such as trending comedy, sports, music, and lifestyle—with Reels curated into themed groups for easier exploration. When a channel or creator is chosen, Reels and Stories autoplay sequentially. According to Lyons-Laing, this channel-based organization represents a new step in how Instagram groups content for discovery.
The TV app also surfaces Reels that are popular among friends and includes a search feature. Up to five accounts can be added to a single home screen, and users can even create a dedicated account just for TV viewing.
A short demonstration video released by Instagram shows how the connected-TV experience works, illustrating what to expect from the initial rollout.
