Meta is planning to roll out episodic series and live TV formats across Instagram and Facebook, the company said. The move signals a push into longer, scheduled video content on platforms known primarily for short-form Reels and user-generated clips.
What the formats will look like
The company hasn't detailed specific shows or release dates, but the plan involves producing episodic series — multi-installment videos released in sequence — and live TV-style broadcasts. These formats would appear inside users' feeds alongside posts from friends and creators. For now, it's unclear whether the content will be produced by Meta itself, licensed from media partners, or created by individual users through new tools.
A change in content strategy
Instagram and Facebook have long leaned on algorithm-driven, snackable video. Reels, in particular, became a central feature after TikTok's explosive growth. Adding episodic and live TV formats suggests Meta is looking to keep people on its apps for longer stretches, competing not just with other social platforms but with traditional streaming services. The company has experimented with longer video before, but this appears to be a more formalized effort to bring structured programming to the social feed.
Live TV formats could include scheduled broadcasts — think daily news segments, talk shows, or live events — while episodic series might mirror the kind of serialized content found on YouTube or streaming apps. Both would require users to tune in at specific times or follow along over several installments, a departure from the on-demand, scrolling behavior that dominates today.
No timeline has been announced for the rollout. It's not yet clear which formats will debut first or whether the content will be available globally from the start. Meta is expected to share more details in the coming months as it builds out the infrastructure and secures partners or creators to fill the programming.
