Instafax is a new program launched by the BBC to bring Instagram video-length news updates to its subscribers. The idea is that three fifteen second videos will be published at different points during the day to highlight different news stories during different parts of the day.
The service, a reference to the short-form Ceefax news service, also mimics other forms of condensed news services, like NowThis News, who has been creating Vines, Snapchats, Twitter videos, and Facebook Videos of the news for some time now. The BBC clearly feels that it’s time to break into this space to build its news and brand on social media as opposed to traditional news forms. Whether it actually proves an advantageous move for the storied news network will likely depend on how sharable the snippets become. But if it does prove a shrewd move, expect to see more of this in the near future.