Several days ago, Instagram announced that their long-form video offshoot, IGTV (Instagram tv), will now support landscape video. Until now, the company only supported vertical video but Instagram has said that the changes have come about due to ‘creator feedback’ and also because other Instagram users are watching landscape videos on IGTV, but are not able to turn their phones to watch in fullscreen.  

Instagram have said that, “We realise this is an evolution from where IGTV started — we believe it’s the right change for viewers and creators,’.

In another post, they also stated that, “In many ways, opening IGTV to more than just vertical videos is similar to when we opened Instagram to more than just square photos in 2015. It enabled creativity to flourish and engagement to rise — and we believe the same will happen again with IGTV.”

It’s though that the new feature could have come about due to competitor platforms, like TikTok which have headlined much cultural conversation. It may also be a head in the right direction to help creators to monetise the content that they put out. When considering platforms like Youtube, who utilise ad placement services, Instagram is trailing behind.

Additionally, many creators using IGTV are primarily YouTubers, and the platforms ‘landscape only option’ has meant that they would have to create a separate cut of their filming for it to display properly on the app.