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The feature was important at the time, but “IGTV” is now historical terminology. Instagram later merged IGTV and feed videos into Instagram Video, and the standalone IGTV app was removed from app stores in March 2022. Today, the equivalent workflow is to share a Live replay to the creator’s Instagram profile and Feed.
What the 2020 update actually did
Before the change, an Instagram Live replay had two straightforward destinations after the broadcast ended:
- Share it to Stories, where the replay was available for 24 hours.
- Download the video to the phone and upload it again as a separate post.
Instagram’s May 14, 2020 update added a third route: immediately after ending a Live, the creator could choose an option equivalent to Share to IGTV. The recording could then be published as an on-demand video through the creator’s profile and IGTV surfaces, without first downloading the file and re-uploading it.
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Instagram described the feature as available to all users at the time. It was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 period, when educators, musicians, fitness instructors, businesses, and other creators were using Live to reach audiences remotely. A Live broadcast no longer had to disappear after a day simply because the creator had not saved and re-uploaded it.
How the historical Live-to-IGTV workflow worked
- Start and finish an Instagram Live broadcast.
- Use the post-broadcast sharing screen. After ending the broadcast, Instagram presented options for handling the recording.
- Select the IGTV-sharing option. This published the replay as a longer-form Instagram video rather than limiting it to the 24-hour Story window.
- Let the replay appear on the creator’s profile and IGTV surfaces. Viewers could watch it on demand after the live session had ended.
The key benefit was convenience. The creator did not need to save the recording to the camera roll, open a separate upload flow, and publish it again. It was a direct publishing path from Live to Instagram’s longer-form video destination.
What “saved to IGTV” did—and did not—mean
The wording could make the feature sound like a complete archive of the original broadcast. It was not. Sharing a Live replay to IGTV created a new, on-demand viewing experience, but important parts of the live session did not carry over.
| Part of the original Live | What happened in the replay |
|---|---|
| Video recording | The video could be republished as an on-demand Instagram video. |
| Original likes and comments | They were not carried into the replay. |
| Live viewer count | The count restarted for the shared video. |
| Editing before publication | Instagram did not provide a trimming or editing step before sharing the replay. |
| Live conversation and engagement context | They were not preserved as part of the republished video. |
That distinction matters for creators reviewing performance. A replay’s views and engagement should not be treated as a continuation of the original Live’s metrics. The recording survived as content; the original real-time audience activity did not.
Downloading the video was a different option
Creators could also download the completed Live to their phone’s camera roll. That produced a local copy of the video, which could then be edited or uploaded elsewhere, but it did not preserve the original Instagram engagement data.
Instagram’s help information specifies that downloading saves the video itself—not the original comments, likes, or viewer information. A download was therefore useful for keeping a copy or repurposing the recording, but it was not an export of the complete Live experience.
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Why the update mattered to creators
The update addressed a practical weakness in Instagram Live: a broadcast could be valuable long after the real-time event ended, but the default viewing window was short if the creator used Stories. Direct IGTV sharing helped creators turn a temporary session into a more durable piece of profile content.
For example, a fitness instructor could leave a workout available for people who missed the class. A teacher could retain a lesson for later viewing. A musician or business could give a Live interview a longer shelf life. In each case, the creator gained a native publishing option rather than having to treat the recording as a separate production.
The timing also aligned with Instagram’s broader effort to develop creator-focused video and monetization surfaces. In May 2020, Meta discussed initiatives connected with Live and IGTV, including Live Badges and IGTV advertising. Those initiatives help explain why keeping Live recordings discoverable mattered strategically, although sharing a replay to IGTV did not itself guarantee monetization or preserve the original Live’s engagement.
Live Archive arrived later
In October 2020, Instagram introduced Live Archive, changing the timing of the decision. Instead of having to choose immediately between sharing, downloading, or deleting a broadcast, eligible accounts could retain a completed Live in an archive for up to 30 days.
From that temporary archive, the creator could later download the video or share it to Instagram video surfaces. Meta also described a maximum Live duration of four hours for eligible accounts without relevant policy violations and promoted Live discovery areas in IGTV and Explore.
Live Archive should not be confused with permanent publication:
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- Archive retention was temporary: the broadcast could remain available there for up to 30 days.
- Sharing created a public video post: once published to a profile-based video destination, it could remain available longer, subject to the creator’s deletion and privacy choices.
- Neither option restored the original engagement layer: the replay did not inherit the original Live’s likes, comments, or viewer count.
The archive feature made the workflow less rushed, but it did not turn every Live into an indefinite private backup.
What happened to IGTV?
Instagram’s product terminology changed after the 2020 announcement.
October 2021: IGTV and feed videos were combined
In October 2021, Instagram combined IGTV and feed videos into a unified format called Instagram Video and introduced a single Video tab. The goal was to simplify video creation and discovery rather than maintain separate destinations for different types of Instagram video.
March 2022: the standalone IGTV app ended
In February 2022, Meta confirmed that the separate IGTV app would be removed from app stores in mid-March 2022. Instagram continued focusing on video inside the main Instagram app. This was the end of the standalone app—not the end of long-form video on Instagram.
Consequently, a current article should not tell readers that IGTV remains an active, standalone destination to which they can save Live videos. “Share a Live replay to IGTV” accurately describes the 2020 feature. For the post-merger workflow, the more accurate wording is “share a Live replay to your profile and Feed.”
How the current terminology differs
Instagram’s current help information describes sharing a completed Live replay to the creator’s Instagram profile and Feed. It also notes that Live replays are not considered Reels, although people may find them through the Reels area of a profile.
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The current documentation preserves the same important limitations identified in the earlier workflow:
- Original likes and comments are not included.
- Viewer counts restart when people watch the replay.
- The replay cannot be edited or trimmed before it is shared.
App screens and labels can vary by account, region, app version, and Instagram’s ongoing product changes. The durable distinction is more useful than memorizing the old button name: a completed Live can be shared as a replay, but that replay is a separate on-demand video rather than a full copy of the original live event.
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Share the replay when you want reach after the broadcast
Use the replay-sharing option when the recording is ready to be watched as-is and you want it associated with your Instagram profile. This is the closest modern equivalent to the 2020 Share to IGTV feature.
Download it when you need a reusable file
Download the video if you want a copy in your phone’s camera roll, plan to edit it elsewhere, or want to repurpose portions for another platform. Remember that the downloaded file will not contain the original comments, likes, or viewer information.
Use the temporary archive when you need time to decide
When Live Archive is available for the account, it provides a short retention window for deciding what to do next. It is a safety net for delayed publishing, not a permanent archive.
Do not promise viewers a polished edit
Instagram’s native replay-sharing workflow does not provide a trimming or editing stage before publication. If the opening, ending, pauses, or audience interaction need to be removed, download the recording and edit it separately before uploading a new version.
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The historical answer in one sentence
Instagram’s May 2020 update made Live videos less ephemeral by allowing creators to publish a completed broadcast directly to IGTV, but it did not preserve the original live engagement or create a guaranteed permanent archive; after IGTV was folded into Instagram Video, the comparable workflow became sharing the replay to a profile and Feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Instagram add the option to share Live videos to IGTV?
Instagram announced the feature on May 14, 2020. It allowed creators to share a completed Live broadcast directly to IGTV instead of only sharing it to Stories for 24 hours or downloading and re-uploading it.
Did sharing a Live replay preserve its original comments and likes?
No. The original likes and comments were not carried into the replay, and the viewer count restarted. The replay was a new on-demand viewing experience, not a complete copy of the live session’s engagement.
Is IGTV still a separate Instagram app or destination?
No. Instagram combined IGTV and feed videos into Instagram Video in October 2021, and Meta removed the standalone IGTV app from app stores in mid-March 2022. Current guidance refers to sharing a Live replay to a profile and Feed.
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How long did Instagram Live Archive keep a broadcast?
The Live Archive feature introduced in October 2020 could retain a broadcast for up to 30 days. That was temporary archive storage, not permanent publication.
Can a Live replay be trimmed before it is shared?
Instagram’s documented workflow does not provide an editing or trimming step before sharing the replay. If you need to remove sections, download the video and edit it separately before publishing a new version.
The Bottom Line
“Instagram Live videos can now be saved to IGTV” was accurate for the May 2020 product announcement, not for Instagram today. The update created a convenient way to republish a Live recording, while leaving the original comments, likes, viewer count, and live conversation behind. Today, look for the equivalent profile-and-Feed replay workflow rather than a standalone IGTV destination.
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