Ads come to Instagram's IGTV format

Starting next week, Instagram is introducing ads in IGTV, its long-form video format, as well as paid badges for Live content. In a first, the company will share revenue from both with creators. 

According to a statement, IGTV ads will initially appear when people click to watch videos from previews in their feed. These ads will be built for mobile and up to 15 seconds long, and Instagram will test experiences within IGTV ads throughout the year—such as the ability to skip—to ensure the expeerience works across its ecosystem of consumers, creators and advertisers.

Initially, these ads will show up in IGTV for only around 200 approved, English-speaking creator partners, including Adam Waheed and Lele Pons, from a handful of major advertiser partners like Ikea, Puma, and Sephora. Instagram will share an “industry standard” 55% cut with creators, Justin Osofsky, Instagram’s COO, told the The Verge. The goal is to eventually expand this group and bring it to more creators around the world, he added. 

With people locked down at home, Instagram creators have seen a sharp growth in use of its Live formt as well, leading to a 70% increase in views from February to March. From fitness instructors to dancers to artists to chefs, Live has helped creators and businesses stay connected to their followers and bring people together, the company said, and with badges, creators can generate income from their content.

Instagram says these initatives are in addition to Live Shopping, which will lets creators and brands tag products during live videos and over the coming months it will also expand shopping access to more creators who want to sell their own merchandise, with wider access to Brand Collabs Manager, which helps creators find potential brand partners.