Expert opinion: Is IGTV the path breaker everyone is expecting it to be?

Social Samosa gets in conversation with experts, to understand IGTV’s impact on consumers, brands, and agencies alike.

Instagram entering the long format content game isn’t exactly a surprise. With previous attempts such as Facebook Watch and content acquisition attempts, long format content on Instagram could be the natural next step for the social media giant.

In spite of several efforts, Facebook hasn’t been able to crack the long content format code, which is possibly the only missing piece in the ecosystem. Instagram on the other hand caters to a much younger demographic who have proved more likely to adapt to newer functionalities and features. Instagram Stories would be one such feat, which have surpassed the original Snapchat stories with a much larger margin.

If, IGTV takes off, Facebook’s share in marketing and production mix increases substantially. Social Samosa gets in conversation with experts, to understand IGTV’s impact on consumers, brands, and agencies alike.

Also Read: Instagram officially launches IGTV – Everything you need to know

Zafar Rais,  CEO,  Mindshift Interactive

IGTV seems like a new game changer amongst the video content delivery platforms that exist, and adds a new twist to the core of what Instagram stands for - visual consumption. However, I feel it will get a tad confusing for brands that are already investing heavily on Instagram video content creation, and will form a further dissection in media plans towards the views game. The key will be towards seeing the differentiation beyond just being a longer duration content platform for creators. We already have some big video platforms so the integration with Instagram, which is yet to be seen, will be the core game changer for IGTV.

Muddassar Memon, VP- Operations, iProspect India

We live in a time where video consumption is on the rise and Instagram has picked the most opportune time to announce IGTV. To allow video uploads of an hour’s length is amazing. I really liked the fact that we can use it from our Instagram profile as well as its own standalone application. Aimed at creators, it’s opening the possibilities for some exciting content creation.

Suveer Bajaj, Co-founder, FoxyMoron

Instagram's innovative features are what have got the platform over 1 billion monthly active users so quickly. IGTV will show videos in portrait mode only, which the platform says is the original way in which people use their phones. The new platform will be a standalone app as well as existing on users' homepages, this may contradict their older features such as 'stories'. While it maybe more engaging since it's on Instagram, it has a lot of limitations as opposed to other video content platforms, YouTube being the biggest example. It's hard to speculate how IGTV will be monitored, which we will know only after the product is explored by consumers. The marketing objective is not clear as they have not defined if the longer videos would include adverts or if users would be paid for their content as they are on platforms like YouTube.

Suraj Nagappa,  vp.  Isobar India

IGTV with Instagram back up will be native to smartphone, attract millennials and will be popular among celebrities and influencers which again serves as catnip for advertisers.  It’s a win win situation for both.

Varun Duggirala, Co founder & Content Chief, The Glitch

I've been poking around the IGTV app since it launched and I must say that its an interesting mix of the " lets keep scrolling" feeling that Instagram drives within us along with the range of creators of a YouTube plus the new age vibe of Snapchat.  Instagram has in the past mastered the knack of picking the best from its competitors and figuring the right recipe for success. However, It's too early to see if IGTV has the right ingredients n form.

 Pooja Gururaj, Lead- Channel and social media at VML India:

The numbers have made it clear. There has definitely been a boom in vertical videos being created and viewed – quick, live or filtered. But, is everyone ready for long, good quality videos in the vertical format Imagine. Short films, travel reviews, stand-up comedy acts and everything you follow in videos, now in the vertical format. The launch of IGTV is not only an evolution for Instagram but also in the video viewing patterns of digital behaviour. One of the strongest implications of IGTV for advertisers is a new facet to collaborations with content creators. Very clearly, IGTV has also been pitched (in the announcement) as not a place for all videos, but best videos. This hints at how seriously they are taking the ‘For You’ and ‘Popular’ sections of the app. Making it more suggestive and intuitive.   While content creators seem to already be going big on the app, we will have to wait and see if the audience makes IGTV a highlight or let it disappear like a story.

Sabiha Khan, AVP Strategy, WATConsult

The fact that IGTV is native to it's platform is a brilliant and seamless addition to consumers in terms of avenues of entertainment. It is an interesting inclusive approach which helps both creators and consumers. Of course content is what will be king at the end of the day. The platform's full screen portrait orientation, upto 60 minutes format will also challenge content creators and help establish new standards for creative and mobile specific, storytelling. It opens up opportunities for brands to collaborate with creators and create more authentic visual stories as well.

What's interesting is that unlike YouTube here you follow creators by default in case you have been a follower of their IG accounts which makes it more seamless and effective.

Akshay Gurnani, Co-founder - CEO, Schbang Solutions

Instagram continues its spree of adopting features from competitor platforms and this time they're taking on YouTube. With a billion monthly active users on Instagram, it's a move that will surely eat into YouTube's pie of video watch time. However, the implications will be more on the creators who will have to think vertical formats now instead of the traditional square or horizontal. I feel this update takes away from the beauty of Instagram's core proposition i.e. short-format/ snackable content that they've pioneered with the 1 minute duration cap. It's surely a move that will open up a whole lot of advertising avenues and compete for YouTube and  TV marketing dollars.

Kartikeya Tiwari, Director - Business Development & Strategy, Social Kinnect 

Firstly, as an agency, we will have another platform to manage. But on a serious note, businesses will have another medium through which they can reach out to the relevant audiences. The launch of IGTV will not only challenge YouTube’s monopoly on long-format videos, but also some of the biggest monetized OTT platforms. As a result of this, brands will now have more premium inventories on which they can invest their marketing budgets. In the long-run, it will force businesses to shift budgets from television to digital. IGTV has massive scalability, and hence its launch will also benefit content creators. This will also increase the loyalty of audiences towards the Facebook ecosystem. In fact, not only will it challenge YouTube but Facebook is now strongly going to challenge the Google ecosystem. The only weakness I currently see with it is the search feature which very weak compared to YouTube's powerful search tool. I don't expect this weakness to last long though.