If you miss the days of gathering around the TV surfing channels, you’re in luck.
Instagram launched Instagram for TV on Tuesday, bringing its popular Reels content to the big screen via Amazon Fire TV devices.
The app, which is first being rolled out in the US, groups Reels into channels, including trending comedy, sports, or hidden travel gems. Users can choose a channel and start watching, with the Reels playing automatically.
Instagram for TV is part of the platform’s ongoing effort to adapt to the ways users are connecting via the app. The company said in a press release that it has heard from its community that “watching Reels together is more fun,” so the product was designed with that social aspect in mind.
Tessa Lyons, VP of product at Instagram, told Business Insider that the team heard from users who were finding ways to cast their Reels to the TV so they could watch them with friends.
“People already want to get together and connect with each other over Reels on the TV,” she said, adding that this allows them to actually share with friends. “Not just DMing them, but actually be together enjoying them.”
Lyons said she personally felt the need for this feature when she realized, while on the couch watching TV with her husband, she was often actually watching Reels on her phone instead.
Instagram for TV is in a testing phase, with plans to eventually expand to more devices and countries. Instagram said this early test is designed to learn which features are best for shared viewing on a TV screen.
Future features could include using your phone as a remote, more intuitive ways to surf channels, and channels that combine your and your friends’ interests into one shared feed, like Instagram’s Blend feature.
Up to five Instagram accounts can be connected to the Amazon Fire TV device. Once you click into your account, Instagram will automatically group Reels into a channel based on your interests.
Lyons said Instagram’s North Star has always been “helping people connect with their friends over creativity,” adding that the goal has remained even as the platform and the way people use it have changed.
“The way in which people share evolves,” she said. “I think that’s natural.”
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