Instagram is testing a long-form, widescreen video format called Features.
The test, announced in an Oct. 26 video by Instagram head Adam Mosseri and VP of product Tessa Lyons, gives selected creators access to horizontal videos that can run up to 90 minutes. Instagram has been testing the format with creators in Brazil and is expanding access to select creators in the United States, according to reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, Social Media Today and other outlets.
Reels become the preview, not the whole product
The main design detail is the connection between short and long videos. Instagram is testing Clips as Reels, a companion tool that can let creators use short Reels clips to point viewers back to a full Feature. Social Media Today reported that creators can link up to eight Reels clips to a longer video post.
That makes the test different from simply raising a length limit. Reels would continue to work as the discovery surface, while Features would hold podcasts, interviews, vlogs, comedy specials and other videos that need more time.
Mosseri said in the announcement caption that Instagram is testing how longer videos fit with Reels, Series, Live and TV. On Threads the next day, he added that Features is “not fully launched yet” and that access is ramping slowly.
The TV angle is hard to miss
Features also lands as Instagram pushes deeper into the living room. Meta’s June update said Instagram for TV was expanding to Samsung TVs in the U.S. and testing more ways to watch and share videos on larger screens. Apple’s App Store now presents Instagram on Apple TV, including Reels, Stories and longer videos for TV viewing.
The timing is relevant because long, horizontal video is more natural on a TV than inside a vertical mobile feed. The test suggests Instagram wants the audience journey to start in the scroll, continue into a full episode, and potentially end on a living-room screen.
The monetization question is still unresolved
The biggest open issue is not video length. It is whether creators will have a reliable reason to publish original long-form work on Instagram instead of treating the app as a promotional channel for YouTube.
YouTube’s published Partner Program terms say eligible creators who accept the Watch Page Monetization Module receive 55% of net revenue from ads shown or streamed on public videos on the watch page. Instagram has not announced a comparable ad-revenue share for Features.
TechCrunch reported that Meta said it was too early to share a long-term monetization model, while exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans and Instagram, including performance-based incentives. Variety reported that Instagram is funding longer-form content directly with some creators during the test.
Mosseri also addressed the issue on Threads, saying Instagram understands the economics matter and is exploring multiple options to help long-form creators get paid. That keeps the door open, but it does not yet give creators a predictable payout model.
Why this attempt is different from IGTV
Instagram has tried long-form video before. IGTV launched in 2018 and later lost its separate identity as Instagram merged longer videos into Instagram Video in 2021. In 2022, Instagram ended support for the standalone IGTV app as it shifted more attention to Reels.
The Features test appears more integrated than IGTV. Instagram is testing links from Reels to full videos and a way to save longer videos for its TV app. It is also developing Series to group related Reels and working on better Live discovery. That integration may solve one of IGTV’s earlier problems: long video felt detached from how people already used Instagram.
What brands and creators should watch
For now, Features is still a controlled test, not a general upload option, and Instagram has not announced a global rollout date. That makes it premature for most brands to rebuild Instagram strategy around 90-minute videos.
The stronger near-term lesson is about packaging. The test reflects broader content repurposing strategies, where a single full-length asset can become multiple shorter pieces adapted for different channels.
If Features expands, the creators best positioned for it will likely be those already producing formats that justify longer viewing: video podcasts, interviews, explainers, episodic series, comedy specials and documentary-style work. Short Reels can introduce the idea, but the full video still has to hold attention once the viewer leaves the feed.
Whether Features becomes a serious YouTube alternative will depend less on the 90-minute limit and more on discovery, watch time and creator pay.
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