Instagram is testing a new kind of long-form, horizontal video called “Features,” with uploads that can run for as long as 90 minutes. The limited trial marks a significant change for a service best known for vertical Reels, short clips and quick interactions between friends.
The format is not rolling out to everyone. Instagram says Features is in a small U.S. test and is also available to selected creators in Brazil. The company is pairing it with tools that can turn moments from a longer program into short Reels, organize episodic shows and move viewing to its television apps.
For creators, the appeal is obvious: a podcast, interview, comedy special or documentary could live on Instagram instead of sending followers elsewhere for the full version. The unanswered questions are just as important. Instagram has not announced a general release date, broad eligibility rules or a permanent revenue-sharing model.
What Instagram is testing
Features supports widescreen, long-form video and allows eligible creators to publish programs up to 90 minutes long. Instagram head Adam Mosseri and product vice president Tessa Lyons introduced the project in videos published on Instagram on October 26.
The company’s immediate goal is to make short and long video work together. A creator could publish a full interview as a Feature, then cut shorter moments into Reels that point viewers back to the complete program. That is different from simply increasing the maximum length of every Reel: Features is being treated as a separate viewing format designed around longer, horizontal productions.
Instagram spokesperson Megan Buckley told The Verge that the U.S. expansion remains a small test, while some creators are also testing the format in Brazil. Most accounts should therefore not expect to see a 90-minute upload option yet.
Clips, Series and TV viewing are part of the plan
Instagram is testing several supporting tools rather than relying on one extra upload button. “Clips as Reels” can connect short promotional clips to the original long video, giving viewers a direct path from a familiar vertical Reel to the full Feature. Business Insider reports that creators can link as many as eight clips to one long video.
A separate Series tool lets eligible creators group episodes and show viewers that more installments are available. The idea is closer to a season or playlist than an ordinary profile grid, with episodes arranged so people can begin at the start. Instagram says that test will expand to additional countries through the end of 2026, although it has not published a complete country list.
Long videos can also be saved for viewing through Instagram’s TV experience. The TV app, which began as a Reels-focused product, has expanded beyond Amazon Fire TV to Google TV, Samsung televisions and Apple TV. That makes the horizontal format practical on a large screen in a way that phone-shaped vertical video often is not.
Why Instagram is revisiting long-form video
Instagram has spent years optimizing for short videos that are easy to watch, like and send in direct messages. Mosseri had resisted long-form video partly because a person watching one lengthy program may share fewer photos, carousels and Reels with friends during the same period.
The new approach tries to connect the two behaviors instead of choosing between them. Podcasts, interviews and comedy programs naturally produce both complete episodes and short highlights. If the short clip leads directly to the full program, Instagram can keep the social discovery that makes Reels effective while holding on to viewing time that might otherwise move to YouTube or another streaming service.
This is also a response to how creators already work. Many use Instagram to find an audience but send that audience to YouTube, podcast apps or subscription services for longer material. Features gives Instagram a chance to host more of that content—and eventually the advertising that could appear around it.
Monetization is the biggest unresolved issue
Instagram has not committed to a YouTube-style partner program for Features. Meta told TechCrunch that it is too early to provide a long-term monetization model, while saying it is exploring income from brands, fans, Instagram and performance-based incentives.
That uncertainty matters because long-form video costs more to produce. A polished hour-long interview or documentary may require research, multiple cameras, editing, graphics and licensing. Creators will be reluctant to make Instagram-exclusive programs at scale if the platform cannot offer predictable income.
YouTube’s established system shares advertising revenue with eligible channels. Instagram currently leans more heavily on brand deals, subscriptions and limited incentive programs. Pre-roll or mid-roll advertising could create a clearer business model for Features, but Instagram has not announced ad formats, eligibility thresholds, revenue percentages or launch timing.
Several basic viewing tools are still missing
The test also has practical limitations. Business Insider reports that Features currently lacks picture-in-picture playback and background viewing, which means a person cannot easily keep listening while using another app or continue watching in a floating window.
Automated transcripts and subtitles are not available in the current version, although Meta says they are planned. Those are important accessibility tools and are especially useful for interviews, podcasts and programs watched without sound. Their absence reinforces that Features is an early product test, not a finished replacement for established long-form platforms.
Instagram has also not explained storage limits, supported resolutions, maximum file sizes, music-licensing rules or how recommendation algorithms will treat a 90-minute video compared with a Reel. Creators should avoid redesigning their production workflow until Instagram publishes fuller technical requirements.
How Features differs from IGTV
This is not Instagram’s first attempt at longer video. The company introduced IGTV in 2018 as a standalone destination, then later folded its video products together and discontinued the separate IGTV app.
Features appears to start from a different premise. It emphasizes horizontal shows, television viewing, episodic organization and short clips that funnel viewers into the complete program. Instead of asking people to visit a separate IGTV section, Instagram is trying to connect long video to the Reels, profiles and sharing habits people already use.
That integration may solve one of IGTV’s biggest problems: viewers did not always have a compelling reason to leave their normal Instagram routine. It does not solve the monetization problem, however, and Instagram will still need creators to produce programs worth watching on a TV rather than merely stretching short-form ideas to fill more time.
What creators and viewers should do now
Creators who receive access can treat the test as an experiment. A sensible approach would be to publish a program that already exists in another format, use linked clips to measure discovery and compare completion time, follower growth and engagement with the same material on other platforms. Until payment rules become clear, producing expensive Instagram-only shows would carry more risk.
Viewers should expect an uneven rollout. Some accounts may see Features or Series while others do not, and availability may vary by country, account type and test group. App updates alone will not necessarily unlock the format because server-side tests are commonly assigned to selected users.
For people who prefer Instagram on larger screens, the TV integration may be the most noticeable change. It follows the wider trend toward native in-car and living-room apps—similar to the shift GNW recently covered when Spotify launched a native experience in selected Audi vehicles—where services want to own the full interface instead of acting only as a phone companion.
The practical takeaway
Instagram’s 90-minute Features test is a serious attempt to bridge Reels and television-length programming, but it is not yet a broad YouTube alternative. The format is limited to selected creators, core accessibility and multitasking tools are unfinished, and the company has not committed to dependable ad-revenue sharing.
The pieces are nevertheless more coherent than a simple longer upload limit: widescreen video, linked clips, episodic Series and TV apps create a path from discovery to full-length viewing. Whether the strategy succeeds will depend less on the 90-minute maximum than on distribution, creator payments, accessibility and the quality of programs Instagram can persuade people to make.
Sources
- Instagram: Features announcement video
- Instagram: long-form video discussion with Adam Mosseri and Tessa Lyons
- The Verge: rollout scope, TV support and related tests
- TechCrunch: 90-minute limit and monetization response
- Business Insider: Clips, Series and missing playback tools
- Wikimedia Commons: featured-image source and licensing
