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Tag: 1 billion users

  • Instagram Now has 1 Billion Monthly Users, Launches IGTV for Content Creators

    Instagram Now has 1 Billion Monthly Users, Launches IGTV for Content Creators

    Instagram has just hit one of its most crucial milestone – one billion users. The news came on the heels of the company’s launch of IGTV or Instagram Television, a long-form video format that takes aim at rival YouTube.

    It seemed inevitable that Instagram would hit the 1 billion monthly users mark. But what probably surprised people was how quickly the company achieved this. After all, it was just in September of last year that the photo-sharing app reached 800 million users.

    Instagram now joins WhatsApp and Messenger in the 1 billion club. The two Facebook-owned apps have 1.5 billion and 1.3 billion monthly users respectively. And despite recent controversies, Facebook is still holding strong with 2.2 billion users.

    IGTV Goes Up Against YouTube

    Instagram announced its latest achievement at its San Francisco event launching IGTV, the company’s latest app for long-form video. While IGTV is designed as a standalone app, it will also be found as a tab in Instagram

    Instagram videos are usually limited to 60 seconds but with IGTV, videos can run as long as 10 minutes. Meanwhile, creators with a huge following can post videos that are up to an hour long. At the moment, IGTV videos will have to be pre-recorded, although live videos might be something Instagram will offer in the future.

    IGTV videos will show up as thumbnails at the lower half of the creator’s page. Tapping on a thumbnail will cause the video to go full screen. Each video will show the same icons that users also see on Instagram – a heart, share tool, and the comment bubble.

    It would appear that IGTV is going up against YouTube in terms of content creation and consumption. However, IGTV still has a long way to go before it can match YouTube’s number of monthly logged-in users and content creators.

    Zuckerberg’s Big Instagram Win

    Instagram’s latest milestone can be considered a big win for the embattled Mark Zuckerberg. The rollout of IGTV had Facebook’s stock rising by 2.3%, making Zuckerberg richer by $1.7 billion. The boost could be due to the fact that the new feature can provide Facebook with a new avenue to run advertisements. Even though Instagram isn’t selling ads on IGTV yet, there’s a big possibility it will in the near future.

    Facebook has faced its fair share of controversies recently, with the latest one being the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Despite that, the company still enjoys robust ad sales and continues to grow its user base.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • WeChat Reaches a New Milestone — 1 Billion Monthly Active Users

    WeChat Reaches a New Milestone — 1 Billion Monthly Active Users

    WeChat, China’s favorite social media app, has hit one billion monthly active users. The platform managed to reach the milestone largely due to the popularity of its games and shopping services, particularly during the Lunar New Year in February. Pony Ma Huateng of Tencent, the app’s parent company head honcho, disclosed the impressive figure at a media briefing on Monday.

    Known as Weixin in China, the mobile app offers more than just messaging services. Users are able to play games, send money, and even book appointments, making the all-in-one platform indispensable for Chinese citizens.

    Amassing one billion users is a remarkable feat, but WeChat still lags far behind Facebook-owned WhatsApp, the messaging app favored by markets outside China. In February, Whatsapp reached 1.5 billion monthly users.

    There’s a reason why WeChat was hailed the leading social media platform in China. The Chinese government’s move to ban Facebook, Twitter and other competitor platforms further boosted WeChat’s popularity in the country.

    However, the Chinese market is fast reaching its saturation point, prompting Tencent to venture overseas. Based on estimates of wireless industry group GSMA, 98 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion population already have smartphones.

    But WeChat’s plan to snag new users from other countries won’t be easy since other countries already have preferred messaging platforms. WeChat has come late to the game where Facebook and other rivals have already cornered the market. Moreover, convincing existing app users to switch to WeChat will be quite a challenge, especially after monitoring accusations from Chinese businessman Li Shufu made the rounds.

    Despite reaching the 1 billion-users mark, WeChat might not be looking outside for growth. According to Matthew Brennan of research firm ChinaChannel, the social media platform isn’t looking to further expand its user base but to tap into revenue-generating services. Encouraging existing WeChat users to spend time and money through the app is a convenient way for the platform to earn more.

    [Featured image via WeChat]