With over 400 million monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most exciting platforms in social media. The Facebook-owned network is going from strength-to-strength and is seeing continued increase in reach, engagement and revenue.

Live video clips to Instagram – How?

That’s why we are excited that, with our latest update to Grabyo Mobile, our customers can now distribute real-time clips from video streams to Instagram. In the same month that Instagram has announced that users can distribute clips up to 60-seconds in length, Grabyo users can also edit and share video content from Live video clips to Instagram in seconds.

Whilst Instagram introduced video in June 2013, it is only recently that the platform has taken a stronger approach to boosting video traffic. Instagram recently introduced a curated video feature – Spotlight Compilations – following in the footsteps of Snapchat and Twitter. Spotlight curates a feed of the best video content on the platform from a specific event or content theme.

Instagram introduced video view counts to encourage more posts and a better understanding of content performance highlighting improved engagement. A study by Simply Measured noted that Instagram videos receive two-times more engagement than photos and Instagram announced that users are watching 40% more video today within the app than they were in October 2015.

Limitations on video clips to Instagram

Most of the video on Instagram is user-generated and, therefore, lacks premium quality. The previous restriction to just 15-seconds for video suited most regular users, but was lower than the average for premium social video on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Brands, rights owners and publishers have been reluctant to invest in repurposing large volumes of content for the 15-sec format. With the introduction of 60-second content earlier this week, that is set to change.

In a recent survey of global premium rights holders, 84% of respondents indicated that their social video content averaged between 30 seconds and two minutes in length; with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube the top three platforms for distribution. Now, the ability to share content in real-time to Instagram from Grabyo and up to 60-seconds in length, users can expect to see an increase in premium content available on the platform. From instant highlights from sporting events to breaking news to highly-polished VOD/archive content and – it will all be on Instagram.

We look forward to working with customers to help them tell better stories and connect with fans through 60-seconds of video on Instagram. To get in touch with Team Grabyo to discuss your social video strategy, click here.