Instagram is introducing longform video. Called Features, the new format will allow users to upload videos up to 90 minutes long.
“So many creators are producing longer videos, and they’re using clips of those videos to drive discovery on Reels and help build their audience,” said Instagram VP of Product Tessa Lyons, announcing Features in a video alongside Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri on Monday.
“Reels is still going to be a core part of Instagram. But when you want to go deeper with creators you love and the content they’re creating, you should be able to do that on Instagram.”
Longform video creators have typically favoured YouTube, which allows verified accounts to upload videos up to 12 hours long. In contrast, Instagram Reels are restricted to a maximum length of 20 minutes. Features aims to allow these creators to share their longer videos on Instagram as well, keeping their audience on the platform.
Features appears to focus on content shot in landscape, and will be available on desktop, the mobile app, and Instagram for TV. Lyons stated that part of the new format’s purpose is to help populate Instagram’s television app, which allows users to watch Reels and video content on their TV.
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“We’ve been working on a TV version of Reels, and we know that to do that well, we need more than just short-form video,” said Lyons.
“People might discover a long form video that they love by seeing a Reel that’s a clip of the video when they’re watching Reels on mobile, and then when they go at the end of the day and open their TV and open Instagram on TV, we’ll know that they watched that Reel and we’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, do you want to finish watching…?'”
Though Instagram is introducing longform functionality, it doesn’t yet offer creators the same financial incentives as YouTube. While Instagram creators are primarily paid through third-party brand partnerships and collaborations, the YouTube Partner Program gives YouTubers a cut of revenue from ads placed on their videos (55 percent for longform and 45 percent for Shorts).
At time of writing, the most liked comment on Mosseri and Lyons’ post was from mental health content creator Divija Bhasin (@awkwardgoat3), who asked, “Why would anyone post an unpaid long video on Instagram if we can just post it on YouTube and actually get paid for the effort?”
In a statement to TechCrunch, an Instagram spokesperson said that it is exploring potential monetisation models, “including performance-based incentives.” However, it isn’t ready to announce any such plans, the spokesperson instead focusing on users potentially being able to find more brand partnerships by expanding their audience through Features.
“Over time, we think there will be compounding benefits for creators to tell new stories, reach new audiences, and find new partners, which should lead to many monetization opportunities,” the Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch.
Judging from Lyons and Mosseri’s announcement video, Instagram Features is currently missing a lot of the functionality available on YouTube. While viewers can adjust the playback speed, features such as captions and chapters appear absent during this early testing stage. Of course, such functionality may be added later, with Instagram currently conducting small tests of Features in the U.S. and Brazil.
