Instagram tests 90-minute horizontal videos in a direct move into YouTube's territory
The new "Features" format lets creators turn clips from long videos into Reels. Instagram has not yet said how creators will be paid for it.
Instagram has begun testing Features, a format that lets creators upload horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and vice president of product Tessa Lyons announced the test in a video on October 26. Instagram is aiming the format at long-form creators, podcasters and comedians.
According to Tubefilter's report on the announcement, testing started with a group of long-form creators in Brazil. Instagram plans to extend it to tens of thousands of U.S. creators over the coming months.
A key part of the test is the link between long and short videos. Creators can cut segments from a Features upload and post them as standalone Reels, and each Reel links back to the full video. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Instagram plans to recommend those clips on Explore and elsewhere in the app. Instagram also intends to support the formats on its TV app. Mosseri acknowledged that will take time to get right.
A reversal
The test is a notable change in direction. In the announcement, Mosseri said he had long opposed long-form video on Instagram. Lyons said the app needs more than short-form video. Instagram's previous attempt at longer content, IGTV, launched in 2018 and was later wound down after limited uptake.
No money yet
Creators will not earn additional money from Features uploads for now. A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch the company is looking at ways for creators to earn from brands, fans and Instagram itself, but that it is too early to announce a long-term monetisation model.
Our analysis
The format is built around one idea: short clips bring in viewers, and the long video keeps them. YouTube already works this way, with Shorts acting as trailers for long uploads and podcasts. Instagram's version links each Reel directly to its source video, which could make that path easier than on YouTube, where moving from a Short to a long video is less direct.
For creators, especially podcasters and comedians, the test offers another place to publish full episodes, along with Instagram's recommendation engine to push clips. The catch is money. YouTube shares advertising revenue on long-form videos. Instagram currently pays nothing extra for Features. Creators who move full episodes to Instagram could pull viewing away from the platform that pays them. A sensible approach is to post clips, link them to full episodes, and keep the main archive on YouTube until Meta announces payouts.
For brands, a 90-minute video on Instagram creates room for longer integrations, such as podcast reads and sponsored segments, on a platform where many brands already run creator programs. Brands that already buy Instagram creator content may find it simpler to add long-form integrations there than to start working with new YouTube channels.
For agencies, creator content strategies will need a new layer. Most creator briefs today are written for single posts, not for a long video plus a series of clips that link back to it. Agencies will need new ways to plan, price and report on that combined package, including whether a brand pays for the full video, the clips, or both. Planning which clips feed which full episodes, and attributing results across the two, is work that agencies can sell.
For competitors, the move puts more pressure on YouTube. The timing also matters: platforms across the industry are investing in longer and serialised creator content. TikTok and Tubi named a cohort of creators to make long-form series for Tubi this month, and TikTok separately signed a scripted micro-series deal with MADE BY US STUDIOS. Instagram now competes with YouTube in short form, long form and on TV.
Starting in Brazil is a sensible choice. The market has a large, highly engaged Instagram audience and a strong culture of podcasts and comedy, which lets Meta test the format before a U.S. rollout to tens of thousands of creators. Expanding by invitation also lets Instagram choose creators whose long videos are likely to perform well, which may make early results look better than a full rollout would.
The comparison with IGTV is unavoidable. That product failed partly because it asked users to watch vertical long videos in a separate app. Features avoids those mistakes with a horizontal format, integration into the main feed, and Reels that drive viewers to the full video. But it has the same core weakness: no clear payment for creators.
The test also creates new questions about measurement. If a Reel brings a viewer to a 90-minute Feature, it is not yet clear how Instagram will credit that view in creator analytics or in any future revenue share. Creators will want those reporting tools in place before monetisation begins.
The take
Editors' opinion: Linking clips to full episodes is the smartest long-form idea Instagram has had, and it fixes most of what went wrong with IGTV. But asking creators to bring their most valuable content to a platform that will not yet pay for it is a big request. Instagram has a large audience but has not committed to revenue sharing. Creators should test it with clips and back-catalogue episodes, not new releases, until Meta puts a payment model in writing.