Instagram Connected TV App Promotion Highlights Shared Viewing Experiences
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Instagram is launching a new promotional campaign for its Instagram connected TV app, highlighting how its existing TV viewing experience can be used for more communal and shared entertainment.
The campaign features creators demonstrating different ways to watch Instagram video content on a television. These include watching Reels with friends, following fitness content in the living room and sharing recipe and travel videos on a larger screen.
The promotion is designed to raise awareness of Instagram’s connected TV viewing option as the platform looks to encourage new viewing behaviours beyond mobile devices.
Creators Showcase Different Ways to Watch
According to the campaign, the Instagram connected TV app is being promoted through creators Ameya Okomoto, Vikram Thanigaivelan and Carson Gillaspia. Each creator demonstrates a different use case for watching Instagram content on a television.
The campaign focuses on the idea that social video does not always have to be an individual mobile experience. Instead, viewers can use a larger screen to enjoy selected video and creator content with friends or family.
The examples highlighted in the promotion include:
- Watching Reels with friends
- Following fitness content in the living room
- Viewing recipe content while cooking
- Watching and sharing travel content on a larger screen
By focusing on these examples, Instagram is promoting television viewing as a more social and communal way to experience creator videos.
The Connected TV Experience Has Been Expanding
It is important to note that this announcement is about a promotion of Instagram’s existing connected TV offering, not the launch of a completely new TV app.
Instagram first launched its revamped connected TV experience for Amazon Fire devices in December. It later expanded its connected TV availability to Google TV and Samsung Smart TVs.
| Platform | Instagram Connected TV Availability |
| Amazon Fire devices | Part of the initial rollout |
| Google TV | Added after the initial launch |
| Samsung Smart TVs | Added as part of the expansion |
Instagram is now using the new campaign to raise awareness of this expanded TV experience and encourage more people to consider watching Instagram video content on a larger screen.
Why Instagram Is Promoting Bigger-Screen Viewing
Instagram’s campaign arrives as connected television becomes an increasingly important environment for digital video consumption.
In Google’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings, reported in February 2025, the company said connected TV viewing accounted for 15% of all Shorts viewing in the United States.
Instagram has also seen strong engagement with Reels. According to the report, Reels now account for approximately 50% of the total time users spend in the Instagram app.
These viewing trends provide context for Instagram’s efforts to expand the use of its short-form video content on television screens. The company is aiming to encourage broader viewing behaviours by bringing its creator content into a larger and potentially more shared environment.
Shared Viewing Is Central to the Campaign
One of the main themes of the new promotion is the idea of watching social video with other people.
The campaign highlights how Reels and other creator content can be viewed in a communal setting rather than only through individual smartphone screens.
This approach may be particularly relevant to content that naturally fits larger-screen viewing, including fitness videos, recipes and travel content. For example, a fitness video can be followed from across a living room, while recipe content can be viewed more easily while cooking.
Instagram’s campaign is therefore focused on showing practical examples of how its TV viewing experience can fit into everyday activities.
The emphasis on communal viewing also aligns with Instagram’s broader development of features intended to help people discover and enjoy video content together on television.
Instagram Is Also Exploring New TV-Friendly Formats
Beyond the latest promotional campaign, Instagram is encouraging creators to explore formats that may work well with its upgraded TV feed.
These include episodic microdramas and live creator shows.
Instagram has also indicated that it is exploring longer-form creator content, episodic series and live experiences designed for television viewing. These formats could give creators additional ways to present their existing content in a larger-screen environment. However, Instagram is still developing and testing aspects of its TV experience, so these formats should not be viewed as fully established features in every market.
The company’s work with creators is intended to help it understand how social video can function differently on television compared with a mobile phone.
What the Promotion Means for Instagram’s TV Strategy
The latest campaign does not introduce a new standalone social network or replace Instagram’s mobile experience. Instead, it promotes an existing connected TV option that Instagram has gradually expanded across supported devices.
By using creators to demonstrate activities such as watching Reels with friends, following fitness content and sharing recipe or travel videos, Instagram is trying to show how its video content can be enjoyed in different settings.
The campaign also reflects a wider shift in how short-form video is consumed. While mobile devices remain central to Instagram, connected televisions provide another environment where people can watch digital video.
Instagram’s growing focus on larger screens suggests that the company is continuing to experiment with how creator content can work in more communal viewing spaces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Instagram connected TV app?
The Instagram connected TV app provides a way to watch Instagram video and creator content on supported television devices.
Is Instagram launching a new TV app?
No. The latest announcement is a promotional campaign for Instagram’s existing and expanded connected TV experience.
What can viewers do with Instagram on TV?
The promotion highlights activities such as watching Reels with friends, following fitness content and viewing recipe and travel videos on a larger screen.
Which devices support Instagram’s connected TV experience?
Instagram has expanded its TV availability from Amazon Fire devices to include Google TV and Samsung Smart TVs. Availability may depend on the user’s location and compatible device.
What new content formats is Instagram exploring for TV?
Instagram is encouraging creators to explore episodic content and live creator shows, while also examining longer-form and other television-friendly viewing formats.
Conclusion
Instagram’s new campaign is focused on raising awareness of its Instagram connected TV app and showing how creator video content can be enjoyed on larger screens.
By highlighting shared experiences such as watching Reels with friends, following fitness content and viewing recipes or travel videos together, Instagram is promoting its existing TV experience as an additional way to consume social video.
With connected TV viewing continuing to grow and Reels accounting for a significant share of time spent in the Instagram app, the platform is also exploring new formats, including episodic microdramas and live creator shows. The campaign represents another step in Instagram’s effort to understand how social video and creator content can work beyond the smartphone screen.
