Instagram started testing 90-minute horizontal videos in Brazil and the United States to challenge YouTube for long-form viewing time and advertising budgets.
The Meta-owned platform introduced the pilot for a section named Features. Creators can link up to eight Reels to a single long video. The test opens a direct new front against YouTube and streaming services as platforms compete for connected television screens.
“For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram,” Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said in an announcement posted to his account alongside vice president of product Tessa Lyons.
Instagram Enters Long-Form Video
“a big opportunity for us to help creators who don't yet have that infrastructure and that business behind them,” vice president of product Tessa Lyons said in the announcement, according to Yahoo Tech Finance. The initiative follows past attempts at long-form entertainment, including IGTV, which launched in 2018 as a separate app before being discontinued in 2022.
Unlike IGTV, Features sits directly inside the main application, using short-form clips as a discovery funnel. Short-form content accounts for 46 percent of time spent on the application in 2025, according to Slate Magazine.
Competitors adopt similar models. Netflix introduced Clips, a vertical feed designed as a personalized highlight reel to route viewers into widescreen shows. Disney also launched its vertical feed, Verts, on Disney+.
Creators Weigh Up Payouts
Instagram offered select creators between $50,000 and $500,000 to publish longer videos on Features without exclusivity requirements, according to reporting by Business Insider cited by Storyboard18. Meta said that it is too early to share a long-term monetization model, leaving the plan to rely on creators using extra time to promote their sponsors. Daniel Caldas, founder of Caldas Ecom, said that short-form media primarily generates awareness, whereas longer videos help build audience trust. The platform introduced an Apple TV app in October as part of its push into living rooms.
Connected television homes in India are projected to exceed 80 million by 2030, according to Ashish Pherwani, partner and leader of the Media and Entertainment Sector at EY India. Rajesh Sethi, PwC India’s leader for media, entertainment, and sports, described the strategy as a method to retain users within the ecosystem.
Deepak Dhar, founder and group CEO of Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, said that the format challenges the notion that social media must remain strictly short and snackable.
The platform has not yet established an advertising revenue-sharing program comparable to YouTube. Ari Berkowitz, Head of Creator Solutions at PMG, said that Instagram must build extended viewing habits among an audience accustomed to short-form media.
“It will not be easy to wean away the big, serious creators who produce or share long-form content,” industry analysts said regarding the platform challenge, as reported by The Economic Times.
Advertisers Require Deeper Engagement Tracking for Longer Content
The introduction of 90-minute content requires adjusted metrics for sponsors evaluating creator partnerships beyond initial awareness. Anil Pandit, founder of Advantage Insights, said that advertisers require deeper engagement tracking for longer uploads.
“If my brand appears at minute 18, I want to know how many people reached minute 18. A million views on a reel won’t answer that,” Pandit said.
“The number I will watch is how many people discover a show through a reel and come back for episode two. That’s when Instagram starts competing for a viewing habit,” Pandit said.
Early creator response highlights tension around long-term policies. One creator-economy strategist described the offer as discoverability acting as a form of payment. In a survey cited by WeRSM, 93 percent of Shine Talent Group creators indicated that Instagram must revise its revenue policies before committing to regular long-form production.