Meta has begun piloting an Instagram app designed for television, bringing Reels to Amazon Fire TV devices in the United States and marking a further push to expand short-form video beyond smartphones.
This positions Instagram more directly in the living-room viewing battle, where YouTube has already established a strong presence and where attention, advertising and viewing habits increasingly overlap with traditional TV. It is also yet another challenge, in terms both of distribution and attention, to traditional news providers.
According to Meta, the test build is available on a limited set of Fire TV models. Users sign in with an existing Instagram account and can add up to five accounts so multiple household members can watch personalised feeds. Meta said it plans to expand to more devices and markets in the coming months.
The TV app focuses exclusively on Reels rather than the full range of Instagram features available on mobile. Videos are organised into channels and categories such as music, sports highlights and travel, tailored to a user’s interests. Reels play automatically and advance without manual scrolling. Viewers can skip clips, like Reels and view or engage with comments to help shape recommendations.
Meta said upcoming features include using a smartphone as a remote, sharing Reels with friends and additional browsing modes.
Meta framed the product as designed for shared viewing at home and said content on the TV app follows broad-audience standards, with Reels generally aligned to a PG-13 approach. The company said safeguards for teens will carry over from mobile. Time spent on Instagram for TV will count toward a Teen Account’s usage limits, and teens may receive reminders when approaching or reaching those limits.
The move formalises a direction Instagram has signalled for months. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, had previously indicated plans for a TV experience, and analysts see the app as an attempt to compete more directly with short-form hubs already common on television platforms, particularly YouTube Shorts.
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
✅ The narrative is fresh, with the earliest known publication date being December 16, 2025. ([about.fb.com](https://about.fb.com/news/2025/12/instagram-for-tv/?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
✅ No direct quotes were identified in the provided text, indicating original content.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
⚠️ The narrative originates from PhoneArena, a technology news website. While it is a known outlet, it is not as widely recognised as major news organisations.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
✅ The claims about Meta testing an Instagram TV app on Amazon Fire TV devices in the U.S. are plausible and align with other reputable sources. ([about.fb.com](https://about.fb.com/news/2025/12/instagram-for-tv/?utm_source=openai))
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
✅ The narrative is fresh, with no evidence of recycled content. ([about.fb.com](https://about.fb.com/news/2025/12/instagram-for-tv/?utm_source=openai)) The absence of direct quotes suggests originality. While the source is less prominent, the information is corroborated by other reputable outlets, enhancing credibility.
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