Instagram has started testing videos of up to 90 minutes with a small group of creators in the United States, in its most direct move yet into long-form video. The new format, called Features, is aimed at podcasters, comedians and other creators whose work does not fit into a short clip, and it lets viewers jump from a short Reel straight into the full episode without leaving the app.
The test began on Monday, October 26, with select creators in the US, according to reports based on The Hollywood Reporter. Instagram had already piloted Features with creators in Brazil, and it plans to expand the US test to tens of thousands of creators. The longer videos will also be recommended on the Explore page and in other parts of the app, putting full-length episodes in front of people who may never have searched for them.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram is testing horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes, called Features, with select creators in the United States.
- Creators can link short Reels to the full-length video, so a clip can lead viewers directly to the complete episode.
- The test follows a pilot in Brazil and is planned to expand to tens of thousands of US creators, with videos also recommended on Explore.
How Features Is Supposed to Work
The core idea is a bridge between short and long video. Reels on Instagram are typically around three minutes or less, which means a podcast clip or a stand-up routine usually ends just as it gets interesting. With Features, that clip becomes an entry point rather than a dead end: a viewer who likes a short clip can tap through to the full recording.
Instagram Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons described the flow in simple terms. “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,” Lyons said.
That link matters because discovery on Instagram already runs on short clips. Feeds and recommendations are increasingly filled with snippets from stand-up sets and video podcasts, giving users a taste of much longer shows. Features turns that existing behaviour into a route to the whole show, rather than leaving the viewer to search for it elsewhere.
Creators are going to be able to link these Reels to their overall feature.
Who Is Testing It First
The early participants named in reports include podcast host and Skims co-founder Emma Grede, beauty and fashion creator Monet McMichael, Preston Rakovsky, who produces street interviews about relationships in New York, and football content creator Donald De La Haye. Together, they cover the kinds of long-form work Instagram is targeting: conversation, interviews, comedy and personality-led shows that run far longer than a Reel.
The choice of early creators also signals where Instagram thinks the format will prove itself first. Podcasters already have full episodes, and comedians already have sets that are cut into clips for social media. If those creators can turn a viral clip into a full-episode view inside Instagram, the format has a clear use case. If viewers still leave for another platform to finish the episode, Instagram will have learned something important about where its audience actually wants to watch.
Why Instagram Is Changing Its Mind on Long Video
Instagram has been here before. Its earlier long-form attempt, IGTV, never really took off, and the platform eventually phased it out as it shifted its focus to Reels. For a long time, Instagram head Adam Mosseri was against long-form video on Instagram, arguing that Reels drove more shares and direct messages.
His case now, as reported, is that short and long video can be symbiotic. A creator can cut a long video into Reels that link back to the full upload, and the full-length videos will get recommended on Explore, so a viral 60-second podcast clip can send someone straight to the 90-minute episode without leaving the app. In that model, short video is not replaced by long video; it becomes the trailer for it.
The timing also reflects a wider shift in how people watch. Podcasts and creator-led shows have become a major source of viewing time, and platforms are competing for that time rather than just for uploads. Netflix, Disney and other services have also moved into podcasts and creator videos, according to reports on the launch, as each service tries to hold attention for longer than a scroll.
The YouTube Comparison — and the Money Question
Any move into long-form video invites a comparison with YouTube, which has become the default home for long-form creator video and podcasts. YouTube’s creator-revenue model is a central part of that position: qualified creators in its Partner Program receive 55 percent of ad revenue, and YouTube says it has paid more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies over four years, according to reports on the Instagram test.
Instagram’s test does not yet match that model. Creators posting Features videos will not, for now, get a share of ad revenue from the new format. “It’s too early to share a long-term monetization model,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch, according to reports. Existing ad placements will carry over into the longer videos, and Instagram says it will help creators who do not yet have advertisers find brand partners. Established creators can also bring their existing sponsorships into the new format, which means a podcaster with host-read ads in every episode can earn from those ads wherever the episode is watched.
There is no exclusivity tied to the videos either, so creators can post the same content elsewhere too. That lowers the risk of trying Features: a creator does not have to choose between Instagram and YouTube, and can test whether Instagram’s audience will watch a full episode without giving up an existing audience somewhere else.
- Features supports horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes, compared with Reels of typically around three minutes or less.
- The test started on October 26 with select US creators, after a pilot in Brazil, and is planned to expand to tens of thousands of US creators.
- Full-length videos will be recommended on Explore and in other parts of the app, and short Reels can link to them.
- Early participants include Emma Grede, Monet McMichael, Preston Rakovsky and Donald De La Haye.
- Creators will not yet get an ad-revenue share from Features, but existing sponsorships and ad placements carry over, with no exclusivity requirement.
- Reports also point to an expansion from mobile to smart TV apps, including Apple TV, for the longer videos.
What This Means for Creators and Viewers
For creators, the practical question is whether Instagram can deliver a full-episode audience, not just a clip audience. A podcast that lives on short clips already gets discovery; what it needs from Features is retention — viewers who stay for the conversation, not just the highlight. If Explore recommendations and Reel links can deliver that, podcasters and comedians gain a second home for their work inside an app where they already have followers.
For viewers, the change is quieter but real. Instead of seeing a clip and then having to find the full episode on another platform, the full episode is one tap away. Reports also say the longer uploads will appear across the Explore tab and will soon expand from mobile devices to smart TV apps, including Apple TV, as Meta pushes further into digital entertainment. That would move Instagram viewing beyond the phone screen for the first time in this format, closer to how people already watch long shows at home.
The move also sits in a fast-moving technology market, where platforms are investing heavily to hold creator attention — from record-scale AI company valuations to rapid changes in how AI systems are trained and deployed. Instagram’s bet is simpler than either of those stories: that the clip viewers already love can become the front door to the full show.
What to Watch Next
First, watch how quickly Instagram expands the test from its initial group of US creators to tens of thousands, and whether the format stays limited to invited creators or opens more widely. Second, watch whether viewers actually follow a Reel link into a full 90-minute video, or whether the clip remains the main event. Third, watch the money question: whether Instagram announces a long-term monetization model for Features, and how creators compare it with YouTube’s revenue share and with their own sponsorship deals. The test answers the technical question — can Instagram host long video — but the audience and the economics will decide whether Features becomes a lasting part of the platform.
Source: reports on Instagram’s Features test published October 26–27, 2026, based on The Hollywood Reporter, with additional reporting from Mediaweek, 9to5Mac, Digital Trends and What’s Trending.