Instagram Video Just Got a Major, TV-Inspired Upgrade — Get All the Details!

Instagram video is about to get a TV-inspired makeover — and some major stars including Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, and Madelaine Petsch are already on board. On June 20, the social media app announced it would be launching long-form video with a new offering called IGTV.

"It's time for video to move forward and to evolve . . . Whatever we do, it has to be mobile first," Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom told a crowd of reporters at the SF event. "We built something brand new: we call it IGTV."

IGTV will be available on the home screen of the Instagram app, as well as in its own standalone app. The IGTV app should be available in the coming days. The new effort marks a big change for Instagram, where video clips currently cap out at 60 seconds, and puts it squarely in competition with YouTube and Snapchat's Discover feature. Instagram also used the event to announce that it has reached the impressive 1 billion user mark.

POPSUGAR Photography | Brinton Parker

Videos in the app will also appear in a mobile-friendly, vertical orientation — another feature Systrom said marked an evolution in creating video better suited to the way we consume it these days.

Instagram

The Instagram team made it clear that they are building a team of content creators and celebs — like Gomez, Kardashian, and Petsch — to utilize the new app. (Those stars, among others, will be launching their own IGTV content today.) But any Instagram user will be able to take advantage of the new tool.

"It's super simple and intuitive to use," said project manager Ashley Yuki. "We bring-high quality content to you from the creators you know and love . . . Starting today, anyone can become the next IGTV creator."

Additional reporting by Lindsay Miller