IGTV

IGTV for Android is a new Instagram service that allows us to watch videos by other users, create our own channel and record up to one hour of footage.

Lots more video on Instagram

Instagram, the social network of photos on the rise and owned by Facebook, has just released IGTV, a new platform within its own network that allows us to watch all kinds of videos but longer than the rest of the users, as well the opportunity to create our own channel.

Unlike the Stories videos that Instagrammers have been able to record up to now, these are not limited to one minute and occupy the entire vertical screen of our smartphone. With this, the service proves that it is still struggling to attract more and more users from Snapchat, which is on a down and even from YouTube, because since it allows us to have our own channel, we can attract real subscribers in such a way as if we were youtubers.

Key Features of IGTV

Although this option is native to the Instagram app, by downloading the standalone version we can access the following functions much faster and easier:

• As soon as we access our Instagram account, we can start watching videos immediately.
• Users can track the accounts of friends, acquaintances, and celebrities.
• We can explore videos to our liking and discover new creators.
• We can comment on the videos.
• The interface takes up the whole screen and the videos are much more eye-catching and engaging than stories.
• The IGTV videos can be embedded in any blog or web.
• Allows us to save videos as drafts to modify later or upload from our PC.
• The user can edit the titles and descriptions of the videos.
• All likes and comments on IGTV videos are received via Instagram notifications.
• All followers of an Instagram account have direct access to that account's IGTV videos, so there is no need to search for followers on the video platform.

IGTV Analytics

Unlike the short stories videos, here the user can view the analytics of the uploaded videos to analyze the impact of the content: an important option if Zuckerberg wants to compete against YouTube. To view this information we must enter the three-point menu on the video to be analyzed and tap on the Insight option. The report contains interesting information for users such as the following:

• A chart showing what percentage of the video was viewed by followers.
• The number of views.
• The number of likes.
• The number of comments.

We must also keep in mind that the content created by IGTV cannot be monetized, at least for the time being. For this reason, although it is easier to record and upload a video on IGTV than on YouTube, all major youtubers, influencers and in general anyone who generates income on social networks will continue to use Google's horizontal video platform.

Requirements and further information:

• Minimum operating system requirements: Android 5.0.