Amazon and Meta partnered to bring Instagram Reels on TV with the launch of a new Instagram on TV application on Fire TV devices. The app is currently available in the Amazon Appstore in the United States, which is the first direct expansion of Instagram into the living room experience.
The new app will be all about Reels, allowing users to view such short clips on a bigger screen without losing much of the overall Instagram experience. Users can comment, like videos, share content, search for creators, and browse profiles, making the television version similar to anyone who regularly uses Instagram on mobile.
To improve discovery, Reels are organized into interest-based channels, helping users to find content aligned with their interests. The app will also use the current Instagram recommendation algorithm, so it will show the content that users already engage with on their phones.
According to Amazon, the Instagram for TV app supports up to five Instagram accounts, so it can be shared among the members of a household. Once logged in, users can switch accounts, explore friends’ profiles, and search for creators directly from their TV.
The app is currently supported on several Fire TV devices, such as some models of Fire TV Stick, Fire TV 2 Series and 4 Series smart TVs, and Fire TV Omni QLED Series. Currently, it is only available in the US, and there is still no official announcement yet on expansion to other regions.
According to Aidan Marcuss, vice president of Fire TV, the partnership aligns with Amazon’s vision of making content discovery faster and more engaging on large screens. He noted that the Instagram TV experience extends the boundaries of enjoying social content outside a smartphone.
The launch comes shortly after Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick 4K Select in India, priced at Rs. 5,499. It features 4K Ultra HD and HDR10+, has the Alexa voice assistant, uses Amazon’s Vega OS, and uses a 1.7GHz quad-core processor.
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