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Revolut alumni's Nevis raises $70m at $500m valuation as Revolut launches UK personal loansAnthropic Files for Nasdaq IPO Under Ticker ANT, Disclosing $16.3 Billion in Half-Year RevenueApple unveils OLED iPad Mini with A20 Pro chip as ZDNET report cites conflicting pricesSpaceX Secures $40 Billion GPU Financing From ApolloSony's WH-1000XM4C revives a beloved headphone design with older ANC techBuilding an Xbox Series X-equivalent PC costs about $1,200 with new parts
Products & Applications

Instagram Tests 90-Minute 'Features' Video in Push Toward TV

Instagram is testing 'Features,' horizontal videos up to 90 minutes, in a small U.S. test tied to its TV apps.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-27 02:37

According to The Verge, Features are expanding to the United States in a small test and are also being tested with some creators in Brazil, Instagram spokesperson Megan Buckley said. Engadget reported that only a few creators with individual deals with Meta can create longform content for now, and that the company is targeting comedians and podcasters, citing The Hollywood Reporter. The horizontal videos will be viewable in the Instagram app, but Instagram hopes the format will also push users to its TV apps, Engadget reported.

In a six-and-a-half-minute video with Instagram vice president of product Tessa Lyons, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said he had been against longform video on the platform 'for a long time.' He said one concern was keeping Instagram about connecting with friends as well as entertainment, because watching a long video involves 'a lot of Reels, photos, and carousels that you might not have sent to a friend,' meaning fewer likes and shares.

Mosseri said the team is working to make shortform and longform video 'symbiotic,' such as podcasts or comedy specials that can exist as long videos and be broken into shorter ones. Engadget reported he also said longer videos could cannibalize engagement with shortform content, but he hoped viewers who watch clips as Reels would later watch the full episode on TV.

The push follows Instagram's launch of a TV app late last year. The Verge reported the app started as a Reels-focused experience and as a pilot for Amazon Fire TV devices in the U.S., then expanded to Google TVs, Samsung TVs and Apple TV; Instagram also added the ability to watch Stories earlier this year. Engadget reported the TV apps are expanding to support Stories posts and live streams.

Instagram is testing other video features as well, including clips that point to a long video, a way for creators to build a 'series' of Reels, and improvements for live video discovery, according to The Verge. Engadget reported the 'series' feature lets creators link multiple shortform videos and that episodic content will be available in the TV app.

The changes are Meta's latest attempt to challenge YouTube and make Instagram more hospitable to content that typically carries more lucrative ad deals, Engadget reported. Meta told The Hollywood Reporter it plans to work with creators to find brand partners if they do not already have relationships with advertisers. Instagram previously launched IGTV in 2018 as a separate app for longer videos; it never gained much traction and was shut down in 2022. In his announcement video, Mosseri said the new effort would likely 'take some time to get right' but that Meta is 'very committed to it long term.'