Instagram tests Features for long-form video without ad-share plan
Instagram is testing Features, a new long-form video format, but has not announced a YouTube-style ad-share programme for creators.
Instagram is testing “Features”, a new format for longer, horizontal videos that gives creators more room than a typical Reel. Instagram head Adam Mosseri and vice-president Tessa Lyons outlined the idea in an official six-minute announcement video, describing it as an early test that will connect with Reels, Series, Live and TV 1.
The pitch is less about abandoning short-form video than extending it. A creator could use Reels to find an audience, then point viewers towards a longer episode, podcast segment, comedy special or other horizontal production on Features. Instagram says the goal is to give creators more space to tell stories to communities they have already built 1.
The initial rollout is limited. The Hollywood Reporter says the test is US-only, and the Instagram announcement video is not viewable in every territory. The report also says Instagram will carry over existing advertising deals with creators, rather than announcing a new revenue-share system for Features 2.
That omission is the awkward bit. YouTube has a familiar ad-sharing model for long-form uploads, while Instagram has not announced an equivalent Features programme. Lyons said the company sees an opportunity to help creators who do not yet have the infrastructure or business arrangements needed for longer video, but did not set out a payment system 1.
The format also fits Instagram’s broader push towards living-room viewing. Reels already appear on TV apps, and the company is positioning Features alongside TV and other video products rather than treating it as a completely separate destination 3. Whether people will watch full-length creator work inside Instagram will depend on both the viewing experience and the money attached to it.
Our opinion
Features makes sense as a product experiment: Instagram already owns the discovery funnel, and creators naturally want somewhere to send viewers who have outgrown a 60-second clip. But the platform is asking for long-form ambition without yet matching YouTube’s clearest creator incentive. Until Instagram explains how Features will pay creators, it looks more like a promising distribution test than a fully formed YouTube rival.