Reels, the short video format launched by Instagram, is now one of the most widely used tools on the platform itself. With this, it is reported that Meta has considered making Reels a separate app to cement its position in the short-form video market.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, reportedly spoke with staff recently about the very real potential of a Reels app. Internally referred to as “Project Ray,” this initiative is seemingly part of a larger endeavor by Meta to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s U.S. future.
Meta’s Strategy to Challenge TikTok
The planned standalone Reels app would allow Meta to concentrate on developing it separately from Instagram. Among the improvements being discussed are better content recommendation algorithms and an increase in the Reels video length to three minutes to make it more similar to TikTok. A separate application focused on Reels would also offer full-screen scrolling functionality that would compete directly with TikTok.
According to sources familiar with the project, Meta is looking to improve recommendations for both newcomers and existing users in the U.S. Besides, the Reels format is becoming a crucial part of Meta’s ecosystem, generating more than 200 billion cumulative views daily through Instagram and Facebook. The rapid growth of the Reels format can be attributed to AI-driven recommendations, with more than 50% of content on Instagram feeds now being recommended by AI or machine learning instead of users themselves selecting profiles. Likewise, engagement with Reels is overtaking engagement on traditional posts, Mosseri said, as users today tend to share content in Stories and direct messages rather than on their feeds.
Last month, Meta announced Edits, a video editing app meant to compete with CapCut, owned by TikTok parent ByteDance, trying to carve a space in the face of uncertainty about the future of TikTok and ByteDance in the U.S. Instagram is also beginning to pay creators to promote Reels on rival platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube while incentivizing creators to post exclusively on Reels.
TikTok’s Uncertain Future in the U.S.
The timing correlates with TikTok’s rising status concerns in the U.S. In April, a deadline would see either TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, find a buyer based in the U.S. or face restrictions with a threat. So far, all attempts to have the app banned have failed, and uncertainties regarding its future create situations for competitors like Meta to exploit.
The separation of Reels from Instagram completely poses questions regarding most threats. A different app for Reels may depict harm to the whole face of Instagram if Meta moves in that direction. It might even cause short-form content fans to download it just when it may rob traffic from the one app, which otherwise has Reels to keep users active.
As of now, the Instagram feed consists of a mix of photos, videos (Reels), and Stories. However, with an excess of videos being dumped into the feed, many users feel that this app is pretty much cluttered and has lost its photo-sharing focus. If Reels are spun into a separate app, the opportunity will arise for Instagram to indulge in other features.
Some analysts say Meta might position this new platform to cater to markets where TikTok is unavailable or where Instagram has yet to gain significant traction, rather than considering it a direct replacement for Reels on Instagram. With this strategy, Meta can test the waters a little without harming Instagram’s ecosystem.
There have been some skeptic, however, regarding the move. They have suggested that such an action could end up being like the fate of IGTV, Instagram’s failed foray into a separate video platform after it was drawn back into the main app. If Reels were to go the same way, Meta would risk segmenting its audience with a long-term unclear benefit.
Should Meta elect to push ahead with a Reels app that works separately, it could represent a massive turning point in the path of short-form videos. The verdict on whether the app attracts users away from TikTok or instead threatens to break the audience loyal to Instagram is still open to debate.
Follow us on WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any future updates. Send tips to editorial@techtrendsmedia.co.ke
