Meta Expands Instagram for TV to Samsung Devices While Launching Horizontal Video and Episodic Series Tests

LOS ANGELES — Instagram is actively exploring what its parent company Meta calls the next frontier for the social media application, and the new direction looks a bit old school. The tech giant officially announced on Monday, June 22, 2026, that it has launched the Instagram for TV application on Samsung Smart TVs across the United States. This significant rollout covers all Samsung models from the 2020 model year and newer, effectively establishing Instagram's presence across the three largest connected television ecosystems in the domestic market. Prior to Monday's announcement, the specialized television streaming service was strictly limited to Amazon Fire TV and Google TV products.

Alongside the massive distribution leap onto Samsung hardware, Meta is introducing a series of feature experiments aimed at transforming how audiences consume creator content in a traditional living room setting. Most notably, the mobile-first platform is actively testing a dedicated home for horizontal video content. For years, Instagram has been defined almost exclusively by vertical feeds and portrait-oriented Reels. The introduction of a specific landscape layout serves as a direct acknowledgement that content formatted for mobile phones doesn't translate well onto a 55-inch living room television screen, offering creators an entire new framework to shoot and present widescreen media.

The strategic shift goes beyond simple video orientation as Meta positions the application to compete more directly with traditional streaming services. The platform is currently testing the integration of longer-form, episodic storytelling that allows creators to group sequential Reels into serialized programs with a dedicated hub. This push into serialized microdramas is paired with ongoing testing for Live on TV, which will eventually bring live creator broadcasts to television screens for the first time. The updated interface also features interest-based channels that automatically categorize content into genres like sports, music, and comedy, enabling a passive, lean-back viewing experience designed for families and groups to watch together.

Additional features arriving with the summer update include full support for viewing Instagram Stories on the big screen and a specialized phone-to-TV casting mechanism. The casting tool allows users to seamlessly broadcast Reels directly from their mobile device to the television app, including individual clips pulled from their private Saved tabs. According to statement notes from Meta leadership, the company treats the expanded television format as an iterative, collaborative learning process, working hand-in-hand with digital creators to understand how communal, large-screen engagement can complement the platform's core smartphone experience.

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