Instagram Wants Your Living Room Next With a New Reels TV App

Get ready to see your favorite content creators on the big screen. Meta has announced that it’s taking Instagram Reels from your phone to your television with a new dedicated TV app. If you’ve ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through Reels at two in the morning, now you can do it from the comfort of your couch. This move signals Instagram’s growing ambition to dominate the video landscape, putting it in direct competition with giants like YouTube and TikTok.

The new app is currently in its early stages of release in the U.S. and is available on streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV. For all the aspiring content creators who made it their New Year’s resolution to blow up in 2026, this could be your moment to shine. The app is designed to bring the short-form, vertical video experience we all know and love directly into the living room.

So, how will it work? The TV app will center entirely on Reels, organizing content into interest-based categories. You know Instagram has all the data on what you like to watch—from cooking tutorials and fashion hauls to comedy skits—and it will use that information to keep you glued to the screen. The goal is to create a seamless, lean-back viewing experience, similar to how you might binge-watch a series on Netflix.

One interesting detail from the announcement is that the videos will remain in their vertical format. They will not be reformatted to fit wider television screens. This means you’ll likely see the familiar phone-sized video in the center of your TV, which raises questions about how engaging the experience will be compared to watching on a mobile device. Will the bigger screen make it better, or will it feel awkward?

This strategic move is a clear challenge to YouTube, which has successfully transitioned from a web platform to a living room staple via smart TVs and streaming sticks. It also puts pressure on TikTok, which has been the undisputed king of short-form video. By bringing Reels to television, Instagram is not just offering a new way to watch; it’s making a bold statement about its place in the future of entertainment and creating a massive new stage for its community of creators.