When Instagram launched IGTV (Instagram TV) on June 21 the world went into a tizzy wondering if this would spell the beginning of the end for YouTube, the most popular go-to so far, for video content. The concern could well be valid, as Instagram is known to have gobbled its competition in the past. Facebook, Snapchat and even WhatsApp, to a certain extent, are feeling the might of the Insta square. So, will it be YouTube's turn next? IGTV, through a stand-alone app, allows Instagram users to put up hour-long videos, that appear in a seamless loop, much like the Insta stories thread. Considering the ease of access through the app that has roughly 400 million users around the world and growing, would IGTV therefore translate into more eyeballs? We spoke to four of Mumbai's most sought-after video-content creators, and even though they are just about getting their feet wet in the new medium [much like the rest of the world], they are welcoming the tool to explore their video finesse further.

Not a start from scratch
The best thing about IGTV, says model, YouTuber and vlogger Scherezade Shroff Talwar, is that it doesn't require one to earn followers from scratch. "My followers can automatically see my IGTV videos, as it's the same platform," says the 31-year-old who has a follower count of 179K on Instagram and her YouTube channel has clocked 239K subscribers. "So, on IGTV, you're just creating new content for an existing audience. And, because I already have a strong presence on YouTube, IGTV is a new fun space for me to create different content," she says. The day it was launched, Sherry, as she's popularly called, uploaded an old skydiving video, repurposed from YouTube and a fresh time-lapse video of herself getting a haircut and got a good response for both. IGTV allows for likes, shares and comments. Ritu Agarwal, reality TV star who shot to fame with her stint on The Voice India, had already kept a video shot and ready just in time for IGTV's launch — though the date hadn't been announced, there were already rumours floating. "It was a mashup of Tareefan which got around 5,000 views over a week. I feel Instagram has a potentially wider audience. Everyone has an Instagram account, but how many have YouTube accounts?" points out Ritu, who has over one million subscribers on YouTube and 23.9 K followers on Instagram.