Instagram’s standalone app for long-form video, launched in 2018, was called IGTV. The name was short for “Instagram TV,” and the service was designed to let creators publish videos substantially longer than the clips traditionally found in Instagram’s feed.
Instagram introduced IGTV on June 20, 2018, with the service available both through a separate mobile app and inside the main Instagram experience. Videos opened vertically and began playing immediately, reflecting the way people commonly watched content on smartphones. Most users could upload videos of up to 10 minutes, while larger or verified accounts received longer limits, eventually reaching one hour.
IGTV was often compared with YouTube because both platforms supported longer creator videos, but IGTV did not achieve the same level of adoption. Instagram gradually merged its functions into Instagram Video, and the standalone app was discontinued in March 2022 as the company shifted attention toward Reels and other in-app video formats.