On Oct. 26, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and VP of product Tessa Lyons announced Features, a new horizontal video format that runs up to 90 minutes, built for podcasts, interviews, vlogs and anything else that doesn't fit in a Reel.
The man who built Instagram's short-form era opened the announcement by admitting he'd been against this. Mosseri said Reels drive more shares and DMs, which is why he resisted. Lyons, who worked with him on the Reels launch, is the one who changed his mind.
What's actually rolling out
- Features: widescreen uploads up to 90 minutes. It was tested in Brazil first and is now with a select group of U.S. creators, with plans to reach tens of thousands. No public rollout date yet. Variety reports 90 minutes is one of several length caps being tested.
- Clips as Reels: creators cut Reels from a long video, and each one links back to the full Feature with one tap.
- Series: a dedicated profile home for episodic Reels, so viewers can watch in order. It's in testing in the U.S., India and Mexico.
- The TV app: Instagram's TV app already runs on Samsung, Fire TV and Google TV, and it just landed on Apple TV in the U.S., now updated to put Features up front. Soon you'll be able to use your phone as a remote and save a video to watch on the big screen later.
- Not yet: background playback. Leave the app and the Feature stops. Mosseri said that could change.
Why now
Follow the living room. YouTube took a record 16% of all U.S. TV viewing in August, about double Netflix's 8%, per Nielsen data cited by Later. Lyons has said the big screen should become the main place people watch long horizontal video, and a TV app full of 30-second clips can't hold a couch for an evening.
The pitch to creators is that short and long can feed each other on one platform. Right now a lot of creators use Reels as a trailer for a full episode on YouTube. Instagram would rather keep that viewer.
The money question
This is where it gets thin. There's no ad revenue share for Features, and Mosseri said there are no plans for one yet. Creators can bring their existing sponsorships into their videos. A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch the company is exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans and Instagram, including performance-based incentives, but called it too early for a long-term model.
Translation: bring your own brand partner, community, and audience. That favors creators who already have a sales operation behind them. Lyons said Instagram sees a chance to help creators who don't have that infrastructure yet. Until there's a program with real terms, that's a promise, not a payout.
What it means for creators
Instagram isn't asking for exclusivity, so uploading an episode you already made costs almost nothing. Building long-form for Instagram is a different call while YouTube still writes checks. The smart move for most creators right now is to repost, cut clips that link back, and watch what the numbers say.
IGTV died in 2022 because nobody needed a second place to watch long video on their phone. This time the TV in the living room is the reason, and that's a bigger target.
Your call
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