Instagram and TikTok are breaking new ground by inviting themselves onto TV screens, radically transforming the experience of social video in the home. This foray promises to shake up the landscape of entertainment in the living room, broadening audiences and opening up unprecedented opportunities for creators, advertisers and the platforms themselves.
Social networking is no longer confined to smartphones or personal computers. From now on, social video is exploding in the living room, driven by the arrival of Instagram and TikTok applications specially designed for connected TVs. This article delves into the mechanics, ambitions and upheavals of this strategic shift, exploring the issues at stake for users, brands and the digital content ecosystem.
Instagram and TikTok on TV: a new playground for social video in the home
The arrival of Instagram and TikTok on connected televisions marks a decisive turning point in the way social video interferes with everyday life. This transition from mobile to big screen is more than just a technical adjustment: it's a strategic repositioning that aims to convert individual consumption into a shared, convivial experience, reinventing the relationship with digital content in the home.
Until recently, social video was essentially confined to personal use, often furtive and fragmented. However, statistics show that households are now looking to enjoy collective viewing moments, particularly in the living room, a space historically dedicated to family TV viewing. Platforms have understood this well: Instagram and TikTok, after conquering young audiences via their smartphones, are now targeting a wider audience, gathered around the family TV set.
This approach responds to several growth logics:
- Expanding the target demographic By investing in the living room, Instagram and TikTok are hoping to appeal to generations less receptive to mobile use, such as parents and grandparents, and thus boost their active user base.
- Encouraging collective discovery Whereas the discovery of creators used to be confined to a personal screen, television can transform the virality of a short video into a group event, reinforcing engagement around popular content, challenges or exclusive lives.
- Stimulate viewing time Smart TV: adopting some of the codes of traditional television, smart TV-optimized applications offer genuine algorithm-generated video playlists, encouraging binge-watching and building viewer loyalty over long sessions.
The experience is similar to that of YouTube on TVs, which has proven the viability of this model; the viral reach of Instagram and TikTok could even accentuate this effect, transforming fragmented consumption into unmissable gatherings around influencers or major live events.
A notable example: the artist "Emma L." organized the first broadcast of a concert exclusively on TikTok TV, accessible to the whole family from the sofa. In just a few hours, several million viewers took part in the event and interacted live, creating an unprecedented synergy between social network, television and community.
In addition, the boom in short video formats is forcing traditional broadcasters to adapt. Via Instagram and TikTok TV, brands and creators are looking to enhance their content on the big screen to capture all age groups, surfing on trends explained on ValueYourNetwork.
This move also meets a consumer expectation: according to a recent survey, 63 % of those questioned said they were ready to watch Instagram or TikTok videos on their TV, provided the ergonomics and quality of the content are up to scratch.
A number of benefits flow from this change:
- The affirmation of home entertainment around social video
- An ambitious strategy of advertising conquest, exploiting the quality of TV inventory
- Access to more homogeneous and varied audiences, with measurable behaviors
- The opportunity for influencers to become household names
All of this is redefining our relationship with screens: the boundary between linear and linear television is being blurred. video on demand continues to fade, while the battle intensifies between platforms - YouTube, Netflix, Instagram, TikTok - to dominate collective attention time.
The new connected sociability of the salon
With the arrival of Instagram and TikTok apps dedicated to TV, sharing moments in the living room takes on a whole new dimension. It's now possible to launch a live video from TikTok and follow it together, or transmit the viral clip of the moment to a whole assembly of friends. This transformation is helping to turn social video into a vehicle for family cohesion, and is changing the notion of home entertainment for years to come.
Thus, the conquest of the trade show by social networks is in line with the dynamics observed on mobile, while paving the way for new uses and business models. However, transposing the interactivity and spontaneity of the cell phone to the living-room screen poses major technical and ergonomic challenges. This point will be addressed in the following section, which is essential to understanding the stakes involved in this audiovisual revolution.
The technical and ergonomic challenges of integrating Instagram and TikTok with connected TV
Transposing the immersive, interactive experience of mobile platforms to the living-room environment is no trivial exercise. Unlike smartphones, televisions have a horizontal, remote-controlled format, with uses quite different from tactile navigation.
At the Festival International de la Publicité in Cannes, TikTok representative David Kaufman summed up the scale of the challenge by describing the show as a "new strategic frontier". This formula reflects the importance of adapting interfaces and recommendations for prolonged and collective consumption, while integrating the technical specificities of the television medium.
The main difficulties identified are :
- Video format The majority of TikTok or Instagram content is designed vertically. To appeal to TV viewers, we need to invest in horizontal videos, enhance hybrid creations or offer an optimized display, with no loss of graphic quality.
- Remote control navigation The "swipe" experience gives way to ergonomics based on four arrows and a central button. The challenge is to preserve the fluidity of algorithmic discovery and recommendation without tactile interaction.
- Recommendations and playlists In order to reproduce the "TV channel" effect, platforms are developing new automatic playlists, encouraging uninterrupted viewing akin to traditional zapping.
For the user, the benefits are considerable:
- Instant video launch
- Personalized suggestions merging mobile and TV history
- Simplified navigation for family and friends
These adaptations echo the growing competition between TikTok and YouTube on new modes of audiovisual consumption. Between Shorts YouTube, Facebook and Instagram reels and long videos, each platform refines its access keys to the living room screen.
Several innovations are emerging:
- Parental control options to secure the home environment
- New formats designed for television (mini-shows, talk shows, live concerts, extended tutorials)
- Integration of premium, targeted and interactive advertising
For example, TikTok recently announced support for horizontal videos of up to an hour, a choice motivated by the need to adapt to the demands of TV screens. At the same time, Instagram enables the publication of landscape content, offering new perspectives to creators while expanding narrative possibilities.
Another area of innovation lies in the cross-fertilization of consumption data: for TV to become a natural extension of the social ecosystem, we need to guarantee continuity between mobile and TV history. Each session must begin with tailored recommendations, altering the individual relationship to the algorithm, which now adapts to the collective audience.
Some influencers, like the fictional creator "Sandy Bright," are already choosing to produce content specifically for TV, focusing on exclusive formats available only via TV apps. This repositioning illustrates the desire to capitalize on the new conviviality around collective viewing, but also raises the question of the balance with mobile uses.
Finally, the arrival of Instagram and TikTok on the big screen brings with it issues of security, content moderation and the balance between personalization and privacy. Platforms will need to reassure users and guarantee a reassuring framework, especially for younger users.
In terms of monetization, connected TV offers a high-end inventory of advertising space, which explains why social networks are stepping up their efforts. The introduction of TV-adapted advertising formats is strengthening brand interest, as already discussed on ValueYourNetwork to maximize impact.
This ergonomic and technical mutation lays the foundations for a rethought ecosystem, where designers, brands and platforms will have to reinvent their strategies to appeal to the trade show public, preceding new practices and consumption models analyzed in the following section.
New perspectives for creators, advertisers and platforms on the show floor
The incursion of Instagram and TikTok into the world of the living room opens up new horizons for the entire digital ecosystem. For content creators, advertisers and the platforms themselves, this big-screen extension redefines the codes of influence and modifies traditional monetization levers.
On the creative side, television offers uncharted territory:
- Distribution to a wider audience content can now reach people who are less adept at mobile formats, such as older family members or gathered groups of friends.
- Innovative TV formats interactive concerts, long-form tutorials, chat shows, group filmed challenges, etc.
- Opportunity to raise their profile A clip viewed on the big screen gains in prestige, sometimes becoming an "event moment" that goes beyond simple mobile virality.
For advertisers, connected TV offers major strategic advantages. In addition to the possibility of immersive, targeted and qualitative advertising formats, it enables new sponsorship schemes to be explored: integrated product placement, sponsored challenges adapted to family viewing, or interactive ads synchronized between mobile and TV.
- Sponsorship of live events (concerts, product demos, participatory broadcasts)
- Alternating linear and personalized advertising, according to household composition
- New loyalty mechanisms with on-screen QR codes to encourage mobile engagement
From the platforms' point of view, this transition corresponds to an expansion strategy:
- Extend the time spent per userby multiplying key contact points
- Increase advertising valueby taking advantage of a premium environment and a more captive viewing context
- Positioning itself as a benchmark in mass entertainmentin the face of the proliferation of competing platforms (YouTube, Netflix, Twitch)
For example, several campaigns for major events, such as sports finals or variety shows, integrate social video into the show, with live broadcasts commented on by influencers, or the sharing of live-recorded reactions.
Some TikTok innovations presented at the last TikTok World reflect this trend, such as the insertion of clickable links or the optimization of stories for television, facilitating convergence between mobile and home experiences.
For viewers, the experience becomes both more user-friendly and more interactive, in line with the development of the attention economy already mentioned via the rise of the new interactive features on Twitch. The selection of themed playlists, looped video broadcasts during themed evenings or live prize-giving during collective challenges are transforming the traditional use of the TV set.
A good example is the fictitious Les Martin home, which organizes an "evening" every Saturday.TikTok challenges"This new social ritual can be seen on the big screen. Everyone suggests a favorite video, interacts on their phone and votes via the mobile app for the best clip, reinforcing the community and festive dimension of social video at home.
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In this context, choosing the right partner to orchestrate an influencer campaign on connected TV becomes essential. Since 2016, ValueYourNetwork has been successfully connecting influencers and brands, orchestrating hundreds of successful campaigns across all social networks, thanks to proven expertise in influence marketing. To maximize your performance and integrate social video into the heart of the home, contact us and benefit from tailor-made support, in line with the new uses of the connected trade show.
FAQ on Instagram and TikTok on TV and the social video revolution in our living rooms
Why are Instagram and TikTok investing in TV apps?
Instagram and TikTok are developing TV apps to conquer the living room, grow their audience and offer collective social video experiences. This strategic shift responds to the desire to reach new audiences and extend viewing time on shared screens.
How are Instagram and TikTok adapting the mobile experience to television?
Instagram and TikTok are adapting their mobile experience to television by rethinking the interface: remote control navigation, automatic playlists and horizontal video display are becoming the norm to deliver a fluid experience on the big screen.
What impact do Instagram and TikTok TV applications have on brands?
Brands benefit from increased visibility on family screens, with premium advertising formats and a captive audience gathered around the TV set. This new medium opens up new possibilities for influencer campaigns and monetization.
What are the technical challenges faced by Instagram and TikTok for television?
Transposition to TV means adapting vertical content to horizontal screens, rethinking touch-free navigation and ensuring the continuity of personalized recommendations between mobile and living room.
What types of content will Instagram and TikTok promote on TV?
Platforms are focusing on longer formats, mini-broadcasts, live concerts and themed playlists, encouraging group viewing and family involvement, beyond the usual short clips.
Are Instagram and TikTok TV suitable for all audiences?
Instagram and TikTok TV target all generations, especially audiences less familiar with mobile uses. Parental control options are reinforced to guarantee a safe environment for the youngest users.
How is advertising evolving with Instagram and TikTok on TV?
Advertising is evolving with the arrival of Instagram and TikTok on TV, offering immersive, interactive and targeted formats, adapted to the quality and attention paid to the living room. This creates new partnership opportunities for brands and influencers.
Can we interact with Instagram and TikTok content on TV?
It's possible to interact via a connected smartphone, vote in challenges or access links displayed on screen, but direct interaction is limited by the absence of a touch-sensitive remote control.
Are Instagram and TikTok on TV threatening traditional television?
The arrival of Instagram and TikTok on TV doesn't replace traditional television, but it does change the way it's used: it encourages a hybridization of consumption modes, where social video and linear content increasingly coexist in the living room.
Why use an agency like ValueYourNetwork for campaigns on Instagram or TikTok TV?
Working with a specialist agency such as ValueYourNetwork means you benefit from influencer marketing expertise, access to targeted creators and guaranteed campaign success across all media, including connected TV.