Instagram, one of the most popular social media apps, has announced plans to take on the big streamers with its TV app. It was launched last year, but the Meta-owned network is now considering creating its own original, long-form content to go up against the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max. It marks a significant step away from its current model.
Having now established a presence in living rooms across the world, Instagram will look to make the most of its new status as a staple on smart TVs. It would not be the first time Meta has attempted to challenge the status quo, with Facebook famously introducing Watch, its own attempt at a “Netflix killer”, back in 2017.
While there have been few real competitors to the Netflixes of the world outside established studios and networks, 2026 is now a much different world for video streaming compared to 2017. Could Instagram really run the legacy streamers close with its own longer content?
An Ecosystem of Streamed Video Content Across Entertainment Verticals
Live video streaming has become a staple of the modern entertainment diet. This shift is perhaps most evident in services like Netflix, which are now available across every type of device. While these streaming services began as home-based examples of entertainment, they have now become common on mobile devices and have completely shaken up how we engage with video content.
The same trend shift can be seen in the iGaming industry. Amongst all of the slot and table games that you will find at an online casino, you will now find live dealer titles that can be played on both desktop and mobile. These games use video technology to stream games managed by real dealers to players instantly. It helps further immersion in the gaming vertical that is constantly seeking a greater sense of realism.
In many ways, this kind of interactive gaming reflects how services like Amazon-owned Twitch have created new forms of entertainment based around games. People may be turning away from live TV, but live video entertainment on other platforms remains popular, with new show genres now available, all of which can be watched on the go.
Can Instagram Go Further Than Facebook Watch Managed in 2017?
When Facebook Watch was shut down in 2023, it was part of a larger cost-saving measure in Meta’s content strategy. However, at one point, it looked as if the service could be a real competitor to some of the biggest names in the industry. If it couldn’t challenge Netflix, perhaps it could at least have caused YouTube to sweat.
According to data from 2020, Facebook Watch reached around 1.25 billion people monthly. Instagram will require around half of its 3 billion active monthly users to engage with any of its longer-form content in order to better what Watch has already achieved for Meta. That is a big ask in an environment in which even Netflix has only around 300 million paid subscribers.
It means that Instagram’s content will need to be of the highest quality, which is a big ask when starting from nothing. It highlights the scale of the task that Meta faces; that even globally recognised brands are struggling to muster the numbers that a now-defunct service once managed. If they do not manage to strike gold, it will likely mean that Instagram TV remains a simple social media app.
It remains to be seen whether the network will be able to transition from creator-led short videos to longer TV-adjacent content, or even pursue the idea. However, it remains clear that – for most in the digital video industry – in the face of the growing threat of AI, achieving a place in the world’s sitting rooms alongside legacy TV is seen as the next step. Maybe streaming didn’t kill the television star after all.
