Full Breakdown
Instagram Tests 90-Minute Horizontal “Features” Format to Challenge YouTube
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Launch of the “Features” Test
On October 26, Instagram began testing a new horizontal video format called Features, which supports videos up to 90 minutes. The beta is limited to a select group of U.S. creators after earlier trials in Brazil. Early participants include Emma Grede, Monet McMichael, Preston Rakovsky and Donald De La Haye. Features links short Reels clips to the full-length video and places the videos in users’ main feeds and on the Explore page.
Background & Context
Instagram’s first long-form effort, IGTV, launched in 2018 and was discontinued in 2022, leaving the platform focused on short-form Reels. Reels longer than three minutes are not recommended to new audiences, pushing creators to other platforms for extended content. Competitors have expanded into long-form: YouTube offers “Shorts series” and a TV-screen strategy; TikTok promotes microdramas. Instagram is also expanding Series, a refreshed Live experience, and its Instagram for TV app, now on Apple TV in the United States.
Official Statements & Responses
- Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said the platform must follow audience behavior toward TV consumption.
Data & Statistics
- Features supports videos up to 90 minutes.
- The test will initially involve tens of thousands of U.S. creators.
- The format is mobile-first, with plans to extend to Instagram for TV for “deep consumption.”
On-the-Ground Reports
Early creators use Features to turn short Reels into gateways for full podcast episodes, comedy sets, or documentary-style videos. The format lets creators keep existing ad placements while Instagram explores new monetization structures.
What’s Next
Instagram plans to roll the test out to additional countries and fully integrate the format into its TV app, eventually allowing phones to act as remotes. Parallel tests of Series and Live videos in the Reels tab are slated for Indonesia, Brazil, and later the United States.
Verbatim Quote
- “What you’re now going to be able to do is, you see a clip of a podcast that you love, you can just click and continue watching or watch the full video, and you’ll be able to dive in and see the whole thing because creators are going to be able to link these Reels to their overall feature,” — Tessa Lyons, Instagram’s vice president