Instagram Wants a Piece of YouTube’s Long-Form Video Pie
Instagram is setting its sights on YouTube, launching Features, a new long-form, widescreen video initiative.
“For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram, as Tessa here knows very well,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri says in a new (widescreen) video alongside Instagram VP of Product, Tessa Lyons. “But we are actually going to lean in for a bunch of different reasons.”
Lyons adds that she’s “excited” about the move to long-form video, especially after she and Mosseri worked together to launch Instagram Reels years ago.
“Instagram is all about connecting people over creativity. And creativity is so much more than just short form video or just posting carousels. And so if we look at how creators are telling stories today, it’s in so many different amazing formats. We see creators who are creating episodic content where a bunch of short form videos are strung together in a series. Those are awesome and I love them. We also see that so many creators are producing longer videos and they’re using clips of those videos to drive discovery on reels and help build their audience,” Lyons continues.
For Mosseri and Lyons, a key focus of the new long-form Features on Instagram has been balancing delivering content in the way that its users want without compromising Instagram’s core community focus.
“Historically, one of my concerns has been how do we make sure that we keep Instagram not just about entertainment, but about connecting with friends?” Mosseri says. “So the thing that the team has been working on that we’re excited to share with you is trying to make it so that short form and long form video can be symbiotic.”
This could mean a lot of different things. A straightforward explanation is that creators can publish long-form content on Instagram and easily turn it into bite-sized, Reels-friendly pieces to boost engagement. Much of Instagram’s short-form content comes from longer-form media already, so it makes sense to make Instagram a suitable home for it all.
Some of Mosseri’s reluctance to move into long-form video may trace back to the first time Instagram tried something like this in 2018. On June 20, 2018, Instagram announced IGTV, a new video app designed specifically for long-form video, though it was vertical content rather than the widescreen videos Instagram wants now.
IGTV supported videos up to an hour long — Instagram Features supports videos up to 90 minutes long — and promised new ways to connect with creators. IGTV was officially shut down in March 2022, although it had practically died long before that.
Naturally, Instagram hopes Features will succeed where IGTV did not. Part of that is a relatively slow rollout strategy. Features is only available now as a limited test for some creators. Features builds on Instagram’s recent attempts to deliver content on television sets, like through the Apple TV app, which currently supports Features.
As for how creators actually make money, it’s a bit complicated. As of now, per Variety, Instagram is working directly with certain creators to make Features. The company has not yet ironed out a long-term monetization scheme for long-form video, although it will presumably do so before everyone can create them.
Image creditsInstagram
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