The Vergecast is the flagship podcast from The Verge about small gadgets, Big Tech, and everything in between. Every Friday, hosts Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz hang out and make sense of the week’s most important technology news. And every Wednesday, David leads a selection of The Verge’s expert staffers in an exploration of how gadgets and software affect our lives – and which ones you should bring into yours.

Instagram announced on Wednesday a standalone app called IGTV a place for watching long-form vertical video. Casey and Ashely — who went to Instagram’s event that announced the app — talk with Nilay Dieter and Paul about their initial feelings about the platform and predict how it will fit into the social mediasphere. Also Nilay Patel sits down with Kara Swisher to talk about the recent AT&T and Time Warner merger. Kara published a book in 2003 about the AOL and Time Warner merger There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere (the merger split off in 2009) so the two discuss the similarities and differences between the two mergers and what they can potentially mean when distribution companies own content. There’s a whole lot more in between that — like Paul’s weekly segment (now up for sale) “Shaavoop” — so listen to it all and you’ll get it all. 01:54 - Instagram announces IGTV a standalone app for longer videos 19:33 - AT&T launches new WatchTV streaming service at aggressive $15-per-month price 27:26 - Tinder parent company buys anti-Tinder dating app Hinge 35:51 - Kara Swisher talks AT&T - Time Warner merger 1:07:12 - Paul’s weekly segment “Shaavoop” 1:11:51 - What happens if Apple loses its Supreme Court App Store antitrust appeal? 1:19:27 - Apple’s AirPower charging mat rumored to ship in September following ‘technical hurdles’ 1:19:48 - Apple and Oprah are teaming up to make videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recode's Kara Swisher AT&T - Time Warner and IGTV

The Vergecast