Facebook Expands 'Instagram Reels' To India After Country Bans TikTok

Facebook Inc. FB has started testing the "Reels" feature on its subsidiary Instagram platform in India, according to a report from Business Insider.

What Happened

Instagram Reels lets users post 15-second videos with audio clips as stories, similar to those on China-based ByteDance subsidiary TikTok's platform.

"We're planning to start testing an updated version of Reels in more countries," a Facebook spokesperson told Insider, adding that it had "no further plans to share on launch date or countries for now."

Instagram began testing the feature in Brazil in November last year, and further expanded the feature testing to Germany and France last month, as reported by TechCrunch at the time.

Facebook earlier this month also shut down its standalone TikTok competitor Lasso, TechCrunch reported.

Why It Matters

The launch of Instagram Reels in India follows the Indian government's move of banning TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, countrywide, in the backdrop of rising tensions over a border dispute with China.

India is a key market for Facebook and subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram. The social media giant last acquired a 9.99% stake in Reliance Industries Ltd.'s Jio Platforms in April, as the company looks to dominate the digital services sector in India, including e-commerce, video streaming, and communications.

Price Action

Facebook shares closed 2.9% higher at $240.28 on Monday. The shares added another 0.3% in the after-hours session at $241.00.

Image: Instagram