

IGTV: Instagram's new tool comes to compete with Youtube. And now?
Our dear Uncle Mark never stops. Crap, reread, Instagram has been updated. Anyone who's been on the app knows that it's been constantly updated over the last few days. We even stopped to ask: doesn't Mark have any friends who say "let's take a break?".
Well, we don't know if he has that friend or not, but it's a fact that there are a lot of changes happening to the world's most famous photo app. And the latest is what it calls IGTV. The proposal? To compete with YouTube. Simple as that.
You may have already received the app update and IGTV is already appearing next to Instagram Directs (image below). If you haven't received it yet, don't despair: it will be released gradually to all users.
Anyway, today we're going to talk about the good (and perhaps the bad) that this new change could bring to the world of social networks.
What now, Youtube?
As I mentioned above, IGTV's objective is very clear: to be a direct competitor to Google's Youtube. At first, videos of between 15 and 10 minutes will be allowed, but as time goes on, they could be up to an hour long.
A lot? Maybe. It remains to be seen how content producers will deal with this time. After all, YouTube also allows long videos, but it's rare for them to exceed a certain time limit. Not least because, let's face it, the world is too busy for people to stop and watch an hour-long video, unless it's something more focused: a series, documentary, short film, etc.
Another thing to note about IGTV: the content of the videos is in vertical format. This creates another option for those who want to produce content. You have two formats (vertical on IGTV and horizontal on Youtube) to explore. You can focus on just one or not.
The truth is that you can't keep your eyes closed and ignore what this new tool brings. Nor the possibilities it can bring to both individuals and brands.
And speaking of brands...
Since we're on the subject of branding, let's focus a little on this. A small company, in particular, doesn't always have a large structure to be able to make well-crafted videos on YouTube. Which, by the way, has increasingly become a great source of audiovisual productions worthy of any TV show. With IGTV's vertical content, the options have expanded for this small business owner, as they only need their cell phone to be able to record content for the platform.
While this may make the platform more informal, it doesn't take away from the merit of the content and the possibilities that can be generated in this new space. As such, there is a lot to be explored, as a company, in this new tool.
Even a person who has a good number of followers gives them new options, a new type of format and interaction with their audience.
And what comes next?
That's the big question: what's next? What's the new update from Uncle Mark that's going to shake up the world of social media?! I think a lot of people are wondering about this. And the answer will only come with time.
What we do know is that the intention is for IGTV videos to be monetized, just like Youtube. This could mean a good fight for space between these two big companies. And, as marketing representatives, we agree that competition tends to be beneficial for consumers. All we can do is wait and see what Youtube will do about all this.