Instagram's IGTV will now allow creators to produce and upload landscape videos.

Since its launch last June, Instagram's creator platform has only allowed people to make vertical videos tailored to smartphones.

Now, IGTV is opening up to landscape videos as well. From Thursday, creators' will be able to choose between vertical or landscape content. 

More opportunity

“We realize that this is an evolution from where IGTV started - we believe it’s the right change for viewers and creators," Instagram said in a blog post.

"In many ways, opening IGTV to more than just vertical videos is similar to when we opened Instagram to more than just square photos in 2015. It enabled creativity to flourish and engagement to rise - and we believe the same will happen again with IGTV.

“For viewers, this means IGTV will be a place to watch even more content from the creators they love—and do it straight from their phone. For creators, this means more freedom to express themselves how they want."

12 months on

IGTV launched back in June 2018 and didn't quite seem to gain as much traction as it intended. The app began as a separate destination to Instagram's main platform but content has slowly started to seep into the main feed as a way of pulling new viewers in.

A lack of content curation, cluttered feeds and no way to effectively monetise content meant that a lot of creators were hesitant to utilise it. However, that didn't stop YouTube from offering its top creators big money to ensure they didn't hop over to IGTV.

Instagram is now the leading platform for influencer marketing opportunities and if IGTV shapes up, it could continue to become as powerful a destination for video content as it is for photos and Stories.