Instagram's Mosseri: creator video payments are losing money
As Instagram tests 90-minute uploads, its head says direct creator payouts are ROI-negative and that brand deals remain creators' main source of income.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri has said the platform's payments to video creators lose money, and that he sees little reason to scale them up. He spoke just as Instagram began testing long-form video of up to 90 minutes.
In an interview on the Colin and Samir Show, reported by Net Influencer on October 28, 2026, Mosseri called the performance-based payout program small and ROI-negative for video. He said Instagram spends "more money than we make back by a long shot." According to his account, paying creators doesn't lead them to make much more content, and what they do add is often lower quality than what they post for free. Mostly, he said, payments just move views from one video to another.
Mosseri said scaling the program would mean burning capital. He could accept payments that break even but couldn't justify ongoing losses, and he doesn't see platform payments or performance bonuses as a revenue driver.
Who actually pays creators
Mosseri described three ways creators get paid: by the platform, by fans and by brands. Most Instagram creators are paid by brands today, he said, and the platform supports that through advertiser measurement tools and a creator marketplace. Subscriptions are an option, but he said he is unsure how much they matter.
The long-form problem
On October 26, Instagram began testing uploads of up to 90 minutes in the US and expanding its TV app to Apple TV in the US. The app already runs on Samsung, Fire TV and Google TV. Instagram VP Tessa Lyons said the company expects much of long-form viewing to move to TV screens over time, Dexerto reported, citing The Hollywood Reporter. The format is aimed at podcasts, interviews and other entertainment, and creators can link short Reels to full-length videos through a tool called Features. Instagram previously tested the format in Brazil and plans to expand the US test to tens of thousands of creators. Early participants include podcast host Emma Grede, beauty creator Monet McMichael, interviewer Preston Rakovsky and football creator Donald De La Haye, according to Dexerto. Creators don't have to make the videos exclusive to Instagram and can keep their existing ad deals.
Mosseri acknowledged that creators will in principle expect a YouTube-style ad revenue share for longer videos. Pre-roll and mid-roll ads would make it easier to attribute payouts to specific videos, but he said Instagram has never run them, viewers find them more annoying than ads between short videos, and he expects pushback from users if Instagram adds them. He also worries the resulting payouts would be small.
Meanwhile, Instagram will keep striking one-off deals to get the format going while it focuses on scaled programs. Instagram told Variety it is directly funding some creators making longer content during the test, and a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch it was too early to share a long-term monetization model, according to Net Influencer. Mosseri conceded that Instagram is late to the party and said creators won't post long-form video unless they get enough value from it.
What it means for creators
The message is blunt: don't count on Instagram's own payouts. Brand partnerships remain the main route to income on the platform. Creators testing 90-minute uploads should treat Instagram as a distribution channel for content they can also monetize elsewhere, which the non-exclusive terms allow.
Mosseri also offered guidance on reach. He said ranking rewards originality, breakout potential and recency, not just engagement, and that original creators get more distribution than aggregators. A new account can reach millions of views on its first post, he said. He called sends per reach the key metric for reaching non-followers, and said it is being added to Insights.
What it means for brands
Instagram's move into long-form, plus the Apple TV expansion, could open new sponsorship inventory, including integrations in podcasts and interviews viewed on TVs. Instagram says it plans to help creators find new ad partnerships for the format. But with no settled revenue share, brand money will likely remain the main thing making long-form worthwhile for creators, which strengthens brands' negotiating position.
What it means for agencies
For agencies, Mosseri's comments confirm that influencer marketing budgets sit at the center of creator earnings on Instagram. Talent managers negotiating long-form deals should push for terms that reflect longer production time, since Instagram is not filling the gap with platform payouts. Agencies running AI-driven accounts should also note that Instagram is starting to require AI-generated characters to label themselves. Mosseri said stolen stand-up material delivered by AI characters is a top complaint in his messages, and that Instagram's systems probably don't yet rank AI content as well as other content.
What to watch next
Watch for whether Instagram introduces mid-roll ads or a revenue share for long-form video, how quickly the test expands beyond the first creators, and how those in the funded test respond. Also watch for sends per reach to appear in Insights.
Why it matters: Instagram's head says paying creators directly loses money, so brand deals will stay the main way creators earn on the platform. Long-form video is coming without a clear revenue share.