Adam Mosseri hints at Instagram TV app amid growing focus on Reels and India market

Instagram is considering developing a dedicated TV app as part of its ongoing focus on video- a move that could expand its audience reach and position it as a stronger competitor to YouTube, which already offers a seamless viewing experience on television.

“If behavior and consumption on these platforms are shifting to TV, then we need to move to TV too,” said Instagram head Adam Mosseri at the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on Thursday. While he confirmed that the company is “exploring” a TV app, he emphasised that there is nothing concrete to announce yet.

Mosseri noted that Instagram aims to “show up in a compelling way on all relevant devices,” adding that he wishes the company had explored this direction earlier. He believes that the vertical videos already popular on Instagram could translate well to television, but clarified that the platform isn’t planning to license live sports or exclusive Hollywood content.

Owned by Meta Platforms Inc., Instagram currently has 3 billion monthly users. Over the years, it has evolved from a photo-sharing app into a platform centered on private messaging, Stories, and short-form videos known as Reels.

Video- particularly Reels- has become a key priority for Instagram as it intensifies its competition with ByteDance's TikTok. Last month, Adam Mosseri announced that the Reels icon will take a more prominent place in the app’s navigation bar, while Instagram’s new iPad app now opens directly to Reels instead of the main feed. The platform is also testing a similar Reels-first experience in India.

Instagram has been working to leverage TikTok’s uncertain future in the US, introducing its own video editing app earlier this year as an alternative to ByteDance’s CapCut. According to the Bloomberg report, Mosseri said in September that he expects a significant share of Instagram’s future growth to come from India, where TikTok remains banned.