Video platforms have spent years adjusting the length and format of the content they surface.
Short clips spread quickly and fit mobile scrolling, while longer pieces allow for interviews, full conversations, and extended storytelling. Creators often publish a short excerpt on one service and direct viewers elsewhere for the complete version, which splits both attention and any associated revenue.
Instagram previously tested longer video through IGTV, which was later phased out as the platform concentrated on Reels.
Instagram is now running a limited test of a format it calls 'Features.'
What it does, is allowing creators to upload horizontal videos that run as long as 90 minutes.
This is like Meta's Instagram take against the mightly Google's YouTube.
The test began in Brazil and has expanded to a small group of accounts in the United States, with further growth expected.
A related tool lets creators pull short clips from the longer video and post those as Reels, with a direct link that takes a viewer back to the full piece. Another option groups related Reels into a Series so episodic content stays ordered and easier to continue.
Longer videos can also be saved for viewing in the Instagram TV app, which is available on several television platforms including Apple TV in the U.S.
In an announcement video, Instagram head Adam Mosseri noted that he had long preferred shorter formats because they drive more engagement, yet he described the current work as an attempt to make short-form and long-form video complementary on the same platform. Product vice president Tessa Lyons said creators should be able to go deeper with the people and topics they follow without leaving Instagram.
Early participants in the U.S. test include podcast hosts, beauty creators, and interviewers whose material already exists in longer form elsewhere.
The company has said it is too early to detail a long-term monetization approach, though it is examining brand deals, fan support, and performance-based options.
The practical change for a participating creator is that a single upload can supply both a short Reel that appears in feeds and the complete recording that viewers can open from that clip or from recommendations on Explore.
Horizontal orientation and the television app are intended for longer viewing sessions, while the mobile experience remains available.
Instagram has also expanded tools that improve discovery of Live video and that place a hub for series on a creator’s profile. Whether the test leads to wider availability will depend on how creators use the extra length and how viewers move between the short clips and the full videos.
For now the feature remains restricted to a limited set of accounts, and existing short-form distribution through Reels continues alongside it.
