Instagram is testing a new long-form video tool called Features that permits select creators in the United States and Brazil to upload horizontal recordings lasting up to ninety minutes. The shift aims to keep users inside the Meta-owned application rather than losing them to rival platforms.
Chief Executive Officer Adam Mosseri announced the rollout to keep the social network culturally relevant, noting that we have to show up where people are
and adding that we’re still in the early stages, and we’re testing and listening to feedback along the way. But we’re excited to give creators more room to tell their stories with the communities they’ve already built here
. The strategy addresses audience habits where popular shows such as Subway Takes—which started in 2023 as a series of short interviews and maintains 2.4 million followers on Instagram—attract massive followings on Instagram but migrate their extended episodes to external sites like YouTube and Tubi. To prevent such user migration, advertising revenue loss, and declining interaction metrics, Meta developed the tool.
📺 Instagram prueba videos largos y panorámicosFeatures se ensaya con un grupo pequeño en EE. UU. y algunos creadores en Brasil.La plataforma explora enlazar videos largos desde clips, organizar Reels en series y mejorar el descubrimiento de directos, mientras amplía su… pic.twitter.com/SNqdfDaeZb
How Features Works on Mobile Devices and Smart TVs
The new format is currently available only to a limited group of creators in the United States and Brazil, DiarioBitcoin reported. Alongside mobile testing, Meta is pushing an application called Instagram for TV designed for smart displays from Samsung, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV. The company previously launched IGTV in 2018 and offered a monetization program for it in 2020 before shutting it down in 2024 to focus on Reels.
Users on television screens can access a continuous catalog of publications that their contacts have previously interacted with. La Voz de Galicia noted that Mosseri and Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons demonstrated the horizontal playback format in a video presentation, where Lyons explained that if you see a snippet of a podcast that you love, you can click through and keep watching or watch the full video because creators will be able to link these reels to their core feature.
Several technical limitations remain during the initial testing phase. Users cannot watch videos while scrolling through other parts of Instagram, nor can they open outside apps while viewing content in a picture-in-picture floating window. Automated transcriptions and subtitles are also absent, though a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider that the company plans to add those capabilities.
Linking Short Clips to Extended Media
Instagram is also testing the ability for creators to link up to eight short clips directly to an original long video, alongside testing a Series
label to organize episodic content chronologically. DiarioBitcoin added that the company is exploring ways to improve the discovery of live broadcasts while expanding its video offerings.
Mosseri previously expressed caution about long-form video because he feared the platform would transform purely into an entertainment site, DiarioBitcoin reported. He worried that spending time on extended media would reduce the exposure to photos, carrusels, and Reels that users normally share with friends.
Monetization Questions and Unresolved Payout Plans
Instagram is studying alternative ways for creators to receive payments for their long-form videos. Mosseri acknowledged that the economic side matters deeply to producers seeking financial returns from their work, though he added: I don’t think platform payouts or performance-based incentives and bonuses serve as an earnings driver
.
The director stated that developing the monetization experience will take time and noted that the company is committed to the project. Officials did not detail specific payout alternatives, timelines, or eligibility conditions during the initial rollout.
Global expansion of the Features test remains scheduled for the final quarter of the year. The company has not yet confirmed when automated captions or picture-in-picture multitasking will become available to all users.
