Dive Brief:
- Instagram has added a video channel to the Explore tab in a move to make video more prominent in the app. According to the social media platform the new feature is happening for U.S. users with a worldwide rollout to come later.
- "As people share more videos than ever before, we’re making it easier to discover the ones you’ll love," Instagram wrote in a blog post about the news.
- Late last month Instagram rolled out 60-second videos for all users, a major change from the previous 15-second limit.
Dive Insight:
Online video has become a major focus, particularly on mobile apps with Instagram parent company Facebook, and competitor Snapchat, both boasting eight billion daily video views. Video discovery is an even more so intriguing component as it serves to improve the user experience, but also stands to benefit marketers looking to amplify their reach. And with the looming algorithm change, it might also help video-savvy brands stand out.
"To begin, you’ll find a personalized channel called ‘Videos You Might Like’ that collects videos from across Instagram’s global community into a seamless viewing experience. And as you scroll through the Explore grid, you may also see ‘Featured’ channels filled with videos on specific topics," the Instagram blog post reads.
The move might be that Instagram is searching for a way to get its users more interested in content shared on the platform. Research from Quintly found its interaction rate was down 40% in 2015. And even though Instagram has proven to be an advertising success, passing Twitter for active advertisers this year, research from Venture Beat found that 60% of its daily users didn’t like the increased frequency of ads appearing in their streams.
