Meta is making its biggest play yet for the living room screen. The company just launched a dedicated Instagram app for Google TV devices, bringing Reels directly to televisions in what looks like a clear shot at YouTube's dominance in the TV streaming space. The move signals Meta's determination to compete wherever video consumption happens, even if that means partnering with Google's platform to challenge Google's own video empire.
Instagram is coming to your TV, and that changes the competitive dynamics in a space YouTube has owned for years. Meta quietly rolled out a native Instagram app for Google TV devices, letting users scroll through Reels on their living room screens for the first time. It's an unexpected alliance - Meta using Google's TV platform to compete with Google's video juggernaut - but it reveals just how critical the TV battleground has become.
The timing isn't random. YouTube has been absolutely crushing it on television sets, capturing more TV viewing time than Netflix in some markets. According to Nielsen data, YouTube accounted for nearly 10% of all TV viewing in the U.S. last year, while traditional streaming services scrambled to keep pace. Meta watched that happen from the sidelines, with Instagram locked inside smartphones while competitors claimed the biggest screen in every home.
Bringing Reels to TVs flips the script on what short-form video can be. Instagram built its video empire on vertical, mobile-first content that people scroll through during commutes and coffee breaks. Now Meta is betting that same content works in horizontal, lean-back mode on 65-inch screens. It's a risky translation - what captivates someone holding their phone might feel awkward blown up on a wall-mounted display.
But Meta has been testing the waters for this moment. The company already lets creators upload horizontal video to Reels, and Instagram's algorithm has been pushing longer-form content over the past year. TikTok made similar moves with its TV app experiments, though those never gained serious traction beyond curiosity installs. The difference here is Meta's scale and its willingness to integrate Instagram deeply into connected TV ecosystems.
