More people now watch YouTube on their TV than on their phone, and other social media platforms have taken note. Instagram has begun rolling out to TVs – with vertical video.
It started as an April Fools' joke on FlatpanelsHD in 2019.
Not long after, the first vertical TV from Samsung emerged. TCL followed soon after.
Then vertical video began moving onto not only these vertical TVs, but also our regular TVs in horizontal 16:9 widescreen format. TikTok launched a TV app in December 2020 and YouTube added vertical video to its TV app in November 2022. Disney+ is also planning to add vertical video in the near future.
Want to watch vertical video on your TV? Here is Instagram's new TV app. Photo: MetaInstagram jumps on the bandwagon
Instagram has now started rolling out apps for TV platforms, allowing users to watch vertical 'Reels' on the biggest screen in the home. It began in December 2025 with a test app for Amazon's Fire TV platform.
This week, Instagram launched an app for Google TV in the US. It will expand to more countries later, while Meta – which owns Instagram and Facebook – promises apps for additional TV platforms later.
Because Reels videos are vertical, they only occupy about one-third of the TV screen. The remaining screen area is used for text and interface buttons.
Instagram has created "channels" where Reels are grouped by interests, but users can also freely search for vertical videos that match their preferences.
Instagram's TV app
Flatpanels
