instagram run a test allowing some creators to post horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long. This new offer, called Features, focuses especially on podcasts, interviews and long-form entertainment content, while the Meta social network seeks to compete with YouTube and strengthen its presence on televisions.
Long, horizontal videos linked to reels.
Until now, Instagram has mainly focused on short formats, particularly Reels. With Features, the Meta social network wants to allow creators to offer longer content without forcing their audience to leave the application. Videos can have a maximum duration of 90 minutes and will be featured in the platform’s discovery spaces.
Instagram also plans to link short formats to full videos. A creator can post a reel that serves as an excerpt and link to their long-form content. The idea is to turn regular discovery through short videos into a gateway to a full podcast, interview, or other show, while keeping users on Instagram.
The test has already been carried out with certain creators in Brazil. It should be extended to a select group of American creators, before possible deployment in other countries. Specific formats include podcasts, humorous content, and creator videos.
This trailer is part of Instagram’s strategy to develop big screen viewing. Its TV app, initially launched with a strong focus on Reels, has expanded to multiple environments including Android TV/Google TV, Samsung TV, and Apple TV recently. Instagram now wants to give more space to horizontal and long-form content.
The competition is direct with YouTube, firmly established in the viewing of videos on television. For Instagram, the challenge is to capture more attention time and offer creators a new space to spread their videos. The platform is also experimenting with organizing Reels into series and improvements to help users discover live videos.
A new format, but not yet an equivalent competitor to YouTube
The launch of Features does not mean that Instagram abandons its model based on short formats and interactions between close people. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, had previously expressed reservations about the long video, particularly fearing it would reduce exchanges around the posts. The company is now looking to make the two uses coexist by using Reels to discover longer content.
The challenge will also be to attract creators and allow them to promote their videos. YouTube already has an established ecosystem for long-form content and compensation for creators. Instagram is therefore testing an additional format, but its adoption will depend on its ability to offer sufficiently interesting visibility and outlets to podcast and video producers.
