Facebook adds video to Instagram
Facebook has introduced TV advertising length video to its photo sharing app Instagram, pitching it directly against Twitter’s video service Vine.
Instagram users can now shoot 15 seconds of video on the app, a length of time suited to advertisers who may want to transfer their short form TV ads straight to the service.
Facebook did not give away any further details about how it plans to monetise Instagram, which it acquired for $1bn last year, at the product announcement last night (20 June).
The move could be a way of slowly introducing the concept of paid for video ads on Instagram and Facebook to users, a move that has been predicted will take place later this year.
In the meantime, the new feature pits Instagram directly against Twitter’s Vine, which launched earlier this year and allows users to shoot and share six seconds of video.
Instagram video differs from Vine, not just in the length of videos: the feature also offers filters, camera stabilisation and does not play on an endless loop like it’s counterpart.
Instagram claims its app has been downloaded more than 130 million times across iOS and Android. Vine, which has been on Android for a shorter period of time, has not released download figures but it is likely it has a far smaller user base.
