INSTAGRAM BETS ON 90-MINUTE VIDEOS AS IT TAKES AIM AT YOUTUBE

Instagram is testing a new long-form video format called Features, allowing selected creators to upload horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. The move links short Reels to full-length content, expands viewing on connected TVs, and signals a strategic push to compete more directly with YouTube for creators.

Instagram is making one of its most significant shifts in years, moving beyond its short-form roots with a new video format designed for podcasts, interviews, documentaries and other long-form productions.

The Meta-owned platform has begun testing Features, a format that allows selected creators to upload horizontal videos lasting up to 90 minutes, marking a notable departure from the vertical, bite-sized content that has come to define Instagram in the Reels era. The initiative is being trialled with a limited number of creators after earlier tests in Brazil and is now expanding to select users in the United States. 

The move places Instagram in more direct competition with YouTube, which has long dominated the market for podcasts, creator-led shows, interviews and extended video viewing. While Reels remain central to Instagram’s strategy, company executives have indicated that audiences are increasingly consuming longer content and often discover it through short clips before seeking out full episodes.

At the heart of the new approach is a bridge between short and long-form video. Creators participating in the test can attach up to eight Reels to a Feature, enabling viewers who encounter a short clip in their feed to tap through and watch the complete programme without leaving Instagram. The system is designed to transform Reels from standalone entertainment into a discovery tool for longer productions. 

Instagram says the format is particularly suited to podcasts, deep-dive interviews, documentaries, comedy specials and extended vlogs. Unlike the platform’s traditional vertical video experience, Features are presented in landscape format, reflecting viewing habits more commonly associated with television and YouTube.

The long-form push is accompanied by a broader expansion of Instagram’s television ambitions. The company has extended its TV experience to platforms including Apple TV, Google TV, Samsung TVs and Amazon Fire TV, allowing users to watch creator content on larger screens. Viewers can also use their smartphones as remote controls, further blurring the line between social media and traditional television viewing. 76

In a parallel experiment, Instagram is testing a dedicated “Series” hub that allows creators to organise related or episodic Reels into themed collections. The feature is intended to make recurring content easier to discover and follow, particularly as creators increasingly build multi-episode programmes and franchises on the platform. 4

However, questions remain over monetisation. Unlike YouTube’s established partner programme, which shares advertising revenue with eligible creators, Instagram has yet to introduce a comparable revenue-sharing model for Features. The company is reportedly exploring commercial arrangements, performance incentives and brand partnerships, but no long-term system has been announced. 74

For creators considering the new format, early guidance is straightforward: think widescreen and think cross-platform storytelling. Industry observers recommend filming long-form content in landscape orientation and cutting short highlight clips of three minutes or less for distribution as Reels, using them to drive audiences towards full-length videos. 57

Whether Instagram can persuade creators to invest heavily in long-form production without a clear revenue-sharing framework remains an open question. Yet the launch of Features signals a major strategic shift. A platform once defined by square photographs, and later by short vertical videos, is now positioning itself as a destination for full-scale entertainment, challenging rivals not only on mobile screens but increasingly in living rooms as well.