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Facebook unveils ‘Video on Instagram’

Updated Jun 20th, 2013 2:21PM EDT

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It wasn’t exactly a mystery leading up to today’s big event, but Facebook just took the wraps off its brand new Instagram video service during a press conference in California. Dubbed “Video on Instagram,” the service is akin to Twitter’s Vine app, which allows users to share short videos with friends on Twitter and within the Vine social network itself. Facebook’s solution is integrated with Instagram rather than Twitter, of course, and it adds an obvious twist: Instagram videos can be spiced up a bit with integrated filters.

In the case of Video on Instagram, Facebook is supporting videos up to 15 seconds in length. The video feature within the Instagram app also supports editing, which allows users to delete clips they don’t like and add new ones. Instagram has 13 brand new filters that are dedicated video filters as well, and they can be added after video is captured. Finally, Facebook announced a new “Cinema” feature that digitally stabilizes video as it is captured on the iPhone or Android phones.

Facebook also noted that over 16 billion photos have been shared on Instagram thus far, and users collectively like over 1 billion photos each days. The company said Instagram’s monthly active user count now sits at 130 million.

Video on Instagram is available immediately via an update for the iPhone and Android apps, which has already been pushed out.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.