Instagram debuts 'IG for TV' with autoplay Reels and personalized channels

Beyond mobile, Instagram is extending Reels viewing to the living room, the social network announced on Tuesday. The company is introducing IG for TV, a new experience that lets users watch Reels on their television, launching first on Amazon Fire TV.

By bringing Reels to TVs, Instagram is directly challenging YouTube’s dominance in the large-screen viewing space. This move aims to encourage users to switch to the Instagram TV app for quick, channel-flipping style content consumption—ideal for moments when users prefer short videos over a full movie or episode on services like Netflix.

The IG for TV experience is highly personalized, curating Reels based on the user’s viewing history and preferred creators from the main Instagram app. To make content discovery easier, Reels will be sorted into topical categories and channels, such as comedy, music, and lifestyle.

Users will not need to scroll manually, as Reels will play automatically, though the option to skip to the next video remains. Viewers can also like, view comments, and re-share Reels directly from the TV interface.

Users can either link IG for TV with their existing Instagram account—allowing up to five profiles to be managed from one home screen—or set up a brand new account specifically for TV viewing.

Notably, IG for TV is distinct from IGTV, the company’s previous long-form video app which was shut down in 2022.

The launch does not come as a surprise, as Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated in October that the company was planning a dedicated TV app.

“We’re exploring TV,” Mosseri said at Bloomberg’s Screentime event. “TV is an increasingly important surface; it’s been very important for YouTube […] it’s been very important for TikTok. So we’d like to figure out how to make sure that we show up compellingly on all the relevant devices.”

He added that it was a mistake for Instagram not to have explored a TV app earlier, admitting he wishes they had done so years ago.