Netflix Adds Instagram Stories Support For Directly Sharing Shows

Netflix is just about everywhere, thanks in no small part to its vast and largely successful original content library, and as of today, it can now be found in yet another place: Instagram Stories. The new integration makes it possible for Netflix users to directly share their favorite content with followers, but not everyone has access to it.

Before Facebook made it possible to directly share content from third-party apps, Instagram users had to take a screenshot from a different app and then share that image in their Instagram Story. The workaround is common, but cumbersome, potentially resulting in lower quality images and requiring more time overall to complete the process.

Instagram Stories got support for directly sharing from third-party websites last year, and now Netflix is taking advantage of the feature. Users can open Netflix's in-app sharing option — which has been around for a while and includes messaging platforms like WhatsApp — to find the new Stories option.

The feature is only available in the iOS app at this time, where users will see the story sharing option on individual content pages. The show's main image is made available for the story and can be expanded with other items offered by Instagram, such as a poll to see whether followers have watched the show.

Assuming the Instagram user viewing the story is using an iPhone and has Netflix installed on it, the Story page with the shared content will include a direct link to open the show on Netflix. Though the number of Netflix users who will utilize the feature is likely small, Instagram users could benefit from the simplified access to recommending and launching specific movies and TV shows.