IGTV and what it means for video-streaming

On June 20, the tech industry reached yet another milestone when Instagram hit the mark of one billion active monthly users, becoming the second most used social media platform on the Internet. This is in stark contrast to the 40 million users it had in 2012, when it was acquired by Facebook. Instagram took this opportunity to be more than just a photo-sharing service and launched its new video-streaming feature—Instagram TV, or IGTV.

Given the exponentially increasing global demand for, and supply of, video content, Facebook has entered this space via IGTV, capitalising on Instagram’s existing user base. This is an excellent step by the technological powerhouse, as it catapults IGTV directly into the “growth” phase, leapfrogging the “infancy” stages. Legally speaking, under the Indian competition law (Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2002), it may even be argued that Instagram has abused its dominant position in one market to enter another relevant market. Similar anti-trust provisions exist worldwide, and legal battles are likely, which may retard IGTV’s success.

IGTV allows users to upload videos upto 60 minutes long, to be played on the Instagram app, on the standalone IGTV app, or even on the parent Facebook account. This creates a social-media ecosystem, underpinned by seamless interoperability. This also maximises outreach per post. It’s also said to further the democratic nature of content generation, acting as another agent in the changing landscape of digital entertainment (other players being Snapchat, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.).

Yusuf Omar, founder of Hashtag Our Stories and former mobile editor at Hindustan Times and social reporter at CNN, London, said, “The idea is borrowed from Snapchat’s Discover. However, it looks fascinating and could potentially be a game changer.”

The videos on IGTV are in portrait mode, which Instagram claims is the natural way people hold their phones. This is in line with Instagram’s minimalistic, portrait-only interface, which became a huge hit when it started out as a photo editing and sharing app.

Unlike Instagram stories and live broadcasts that have a 24-hour lifespan, IGTV allows longer videos. If Instagram was an answer to Snapchat, IGTV is Facebook’s way of eating into YouTube’s market share, which has enjoyed almost a monopoly for years. This is supplemented by the customised content discovery options, which seem to be heavily influenced by YouTube as well as Snapchat.

Thus, intellectual property disputes may arise, and litigation may ensue.

However, this is where the basic market principle—“yesterday’s innovations become today’s market norms”—kicks in. These features now mark the basics of any social media platform. When contacted, the social media team at Little Black Book Delhi (a local food, fashion and lifestyle recommendation app) said, “YouTube rival or Snapchat Discover clone: it’s no surprise that Instagram launched IGTV, considering how video is becoming one of the most consumed forms of content online right now. It’ll be interesting to see how IGTV competes with YouTube though because YouTube as a platform for long video consumption has been unbeatable till now.”

IGTV also provides a “swipe up” option that essentially allows content creators to strategically place calls to action. Currently, it’s a no-ad platform, though the design belies the long-term business intentions. It has also added another platform for the new generation of social media influencers to market brands and engage with followers.

Beauty and fashion blogger Pallavi Ruhail, popularly known on Instagram as “That Delhi Girl”, had mixed feelings about the launch of IGTV. She said, “On one hand, it allows me to create longer videos, which can be better for tutorials and can give brands more screen time. On the other hand, it forces bloggers and influencers who stayed away from YouTube and video to equip themselves with video skills to stay in the game. It’s also unclear how my followers will react to longer videos, given that Instagram has been synonymous with fast-moving content.”

Ruhail commented on the impact it would have on influencers’ pricing models, which until now was for a standard one minute video. “How we charge brands for videos is completely going to change with this move,” she said. “I can’t say yet whether it’s for better or for worse! ”

Commercialisation seems like a possibility in the future, as observed in the case of WhatsApp and Instagram itself. Shubham Gupta, a student in New York and winner of mobile journalist of the year (Thomson Reuters), said, “This is a big leap for vertical storytelling and especially for journalism, now we have platform like YouTube where people can search videos and see the longform video. Monetisation is still a problem but this is a good start. Creating a separate app could be a problem, let’s see if people will switch from one app to another app for their entertainment.”

Importantly, IGTV, like every other platform, banks on its addictive nature for success. Ads or not, time spent on social media will invariably increase with IGTV. Further, this can have irreversible mental health consequences. Recently, Instagram confirmed a leak, where they confessed to working on a feature which will let users know the amount of time they spent on the app. If implemented, this could be an eye opener for users. However, reduced time could spell disaster for the economic viability of these platforms.

This, seen especially in the light of recent data breaches, creates fears that IGTV could erode another layer of our privacy. After all, a basic principle of all these apps is “if you don’t pay for the product, you are the product”. Facebook’s recent steps in the aftermath of the breach highlights its commitment towards taking responsibility.

As for IGTV, owing to the absolute unpredictability of consumer choices, only time will tell whether it is a pathbreaking, tectonic shift in the video streaming industry or a mere piecemeal incremental upgrade of the existing Instagram app!