Meta, the tech giant, is planning to transform Reels, part of the social media platform Instagram, into a standalone app for short videos to compete with TikTok. The initiative called Project Ray is being developed as a rival to TikTok.

Instagram is gearing up to elevate Reels, a popular short video format, by making it an independent app to enhance user experience. This new project, codenamed “Project Ray,” aims to host three-minute videos and provide users with better recommendations. Meta’s move is intended to challenge TikTok, the popular platform known for short videos. Existing Instagram users will receive richer and more personalized content recommendations through the independent Reels app.

TARGETING TIKTOK
Last month, Instagram announced the video editing app Edits, perceived as a step to approach TikTok’s video editing tools. The recent developments related to Reels suggest Meta is strategizing to potentially claim the market space once occupied by TikTok in the U.S. Instagram, which started as a photo-sharing platform, now blends photos, videos, and stories on its feed. However, users increasingly feel that videos dominate the app, leading to a complex user experience due to straying from its original concept.

Experts highlight that should Project Ray launch successfully, Reels, known for popular short videos, can thrive, and Instagram can also highlight its other features.

META’S INFLUENCER INITIATIVE
To stay ahead in the competition among social media platforms, Meta is pursuing an aggressive influencer strategy this year. The company has been observed forging special partnerships with content creators on rival platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok to promote Instagram. According to industry leaks, Meta has started offering substantial amounts to many high-follower content creators exclusively for sharing on the Reels platform.

TIKTOK REMAINS MORE POPULAR
Despite Instagram’s higher market share compared to TikTok, the China-based platform has taken the lead in terms of active user numbers and ad revenues. While Instagram has 1.6 billion active users, TikTok boasts 1.8 billion active users. TikTok, rapidly growing in the sector, generated $23 billion solely from ad revenues in 2024.