Instagram has been working on its TikTok-alternative called Reels for a while now. The in-app feature was being tested in Brazil till last year, and now the company is planning to do a broad pilot test in India. The move comes after the Indian Government banned TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps.
Reels will not only attempt to fill up the vacuum left by the popular short video sharing platform, but it will also compete with a bunch of homegrown alternatives like Chingari, Roposo and Mitron among others.
According to reports, Instagram plans to roll out the Reels feature to users in India from 7:30 PM on Wednesday, July 8. The feature will have content populated by some viral internet stars like RJ Abhinav, Kusha Kapila, Radhika Bangia, Ammy Virk and more.
Using the Reels feature, users will be able to create short, 15-second videos in which they can lip-sync with music or other audio in the background. Users can also remix audio from existing clips from other accounts. Reels will have an editing section where users can adjust the video speed, add a countdown timer and more.
Furthermore, you can add music tracks, filters and AR effects to Reels. Facebook has even landed a deal with Saregama to get access to a catalogue of over 10,000 songs across various Indian genres in more than 25 Indian languages. Facebook also has similar deals in place with T-Series, Yash Raj Films and Zee Music Company to allow more popular Bollywood tracks for the videos.
Instagram Reels will also offer the option to attach multiple 15-second clips to help with seamless transitions in your content.
Reels will show up on the Instagram Explore tab which will help creators reach a larger base of audience. It can also be accessed from the Camera button within the Instagram app, similar to how you create an Instagram Story. Reel creators can also be searched using music tracks, apart from searching by the account name. A public account can also share the Reels in the Explore Tab. Reels will also appear when searching by the hashtag, AR effect or the music track.
If TikTok was anything to go by, the short video social networks thrive on influencer activities who command million-strong fanbases. Influencers, viral stars and unique content creators make videos that are funny and engaging and can often be endorsed by a brand as part of a paid-partnership deal. It's also how thousands of influencers earn a living on Instagram. Reels will also have a bunch of known faces from the social media circuit at launch — The list includes Ammy Virk, Gippy Grewal, Komal Pandey, Arjun Kanungo, Jahnavi Dasetty aka Mahathalli, Indrani Biswas aka Wondermunna, Kusha Kapila, Radhika Bangia, RJ Abhinav and Ankush Bhaguna.