Instagram now lets users create their own channels and broadcast videos from it. This new feature is called IGTV i.e., Instagram TV. The social media app is dubbing it as the video channel for vertical videos, because we all need more of those. This new feature isn’t exclusive to certain users. If you want, you can create your own Instagram channel.
Make sure the Instagram app is up to date. This feature is available on both iOS and Android.
Open the Instagram app and tap the new TV icon at the top right. This will take you to the IGTV screen where you can see every channel created by users that you follow, and view what they’ve chosen to broadcast. On this screen, you will notice a gear icon. Tap it.
Tapping the gear icon will open a menu with a Create Channel option. Tap it, swipe through the three on-boarding screens, and tap the Create Channel button at the end.
You will not be prompted to enter a name for the channel. It goes by your username. Once you tap the Create button, the channel will be created and you will return to the main IGTV screen. Here, you will see your own profile icon appear where the gear icon did. Tap it to upload something to your Instagram channel.
Tap the plus button to share something to your channel. Upload a video, give it a title, and a description. If you want, you can make the video visible on your Facebook page.
It appears that there is no way to delete an Instagram channel just yet. There are also no management settings for the channel i.e., you cannot block someone from seeing what you broadcast. It’s safe to assume that everything that is broadcast is public.
Users that you have blocked on Instagram will not be able to view your channel however, there is no selective blocking for channels like there is for Instagram stories.
An Instagram channel allows users to share longer videos, and unlike Instagram Stories, the videos do not disappear after 24 hours. Instagram stories have been fairly popular with content creators. For users who do not share as frequently, there’s always the option of sharing another user’s post to their Instagram Story. This makes it so that anyone can share to their story. The edge that IGTV has over stories and other posts is that you can use it share longer videos and that is bound to appeal to a lot of users.
