Turn your phone sideways and settle in for a video that runs anywhere from a few dozen minutes to more than an hour. For this kind of long-form viewing, YouTube has long been the dominant presence. Competition in the short-video market, where quick clips capture viewers' attention, remains fierce. But when it comes to the full episodes of shows, lectures, and podcasts, other social media platforms have not offered a satisfactory home. It is not unusual for a user who sees a clip from a popular talk show on Instagram to move over to YouTube to watch the rest.
Instagram is now trying to change that viewing behavior. On October 26, 2026, the company announced a test of "Features," a new format that lets users post horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. It is also testing a mechanism that lets viewers jump directly from short vertical Reels to long horizontal videos, with the idea of linking short- and long-form content within Instagram. Following an initial test in Brazil, the company has begun testing with a select group of creators in the United States as well.
That said, this does not necessarily shake YouTube's advantage right away. Features is still in a limited testing phase, and the gap with YouTube is large in areas such as the revenue-sharing system for long-form video and track record in TV viewing. For Instagram to establish itself as a new destination for long-form video, it will need to overcome challenges beyond video length alone: creator profitability and viewers' established habits.
"Features": Horizontal Videos of Up to 90 Minutes, Now Being Tested With Some US Creators
In a video posted to the official account, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Tessa Lyons, vice president of product, announced the start of testing for the new "Features" format. Features is not meant to replace the existing vertical short-video format, Reels. It is positioned as a new format for posting horizontal long-form content. Videos can run up to 90 minutes, and the main intended uses include full podcast episodes, stand-up comedy specials, and interviews.
However, the 90-minute length is the cap set for the current test, and not every user can use the feature yet. Instagram has been running an initial test with some creators in Brazil, and from October 26 it expanded the test to a limited group of creators in the United States. Ordinary users in other regions, including Japan, cannot freely post 90-minute videos at this point.
The uses Instagram cites, such as podcasts, comedy, and interviews, are merely examples the company envisions. They do not mean that such long-form content is already widely watched or succeeding on Instagram. No specific announcement has been made regarding the date of a worldwide rollout, the timing of a launch in Japan, or the conditions under which regular creators will gain access. For now, the company is using a trial with a limited set of creators to examine production challenges and gauge viewer reactions.
Turning Reels Into "Trailers" That Lead Directly to Long-Form Videos
The goal of Features is not simply to make videos on Instagram longer. What matters is building a mechanism that uses short-form Reels as an entry point and directs viewers straight to the full-length video. Alongside Features, Instagram is testing a function called "Clips as Reels," which lets viewers move from a Reel cut from a long video to the original video. This would allow viewers to enjoy the rest of a clip that interested them without leaving for external services such as YouTube.
Instagram also plans to recommend Features videos through places such as the Explore tab. The idea is to catch viewers' interest with existing Reels and lead interested users to the full-length video, increasing time spent in the app. However, there is not yet any track record showing how many viewers such recommendations will attract or whether viewing time for long-form videos will actually grow.
What is interesting about this shift is that Mosseri himself has acknowledged he previously opposed bringing long-form video to Instagram. He had believed that shorter videos encouraged sharing and communication with friends and better preserved the connections between people that characterize Instagram. He now sees short and long videos as able to form a "symbiotic" relationship that complements each other. If Reels are used as "trailers" for the main content, the thinking goes, Instagram can take advantage of the spreading power of short videos while also driving viewing of deeper content.
This strategy also differs from Instagram's earlier long-form video service, IGTV. IGTV even had a standalone app, whereas Features is built into the Instagram viewing experience that many users already use. Because viewers can go straight from an existing Reel to the full video, it reduces the effort of searching for another app or service. How effective this mechanism will be, however, is still unknown. No data has been released for judging actual results, such as the rate at which viewers move from Reels to the full video or the share of users who watch long-form videos to the end.
YouTube Far Ahead in Long-Form Viewing on TV
Instagram says it will not limit Features to smartphones but will also use it in its TV app. Horizontal long-form video suits not only viewing with the phone turned sideways but also enjoying on a large living-room TV. Instagram's TV app itself has already launched, but the viewing experience for long-form video, including Features, is still at the stage of being developed. Supporting TVs alone does not guarantee that Instagram will win long-form viewers.
YouTube, the rival Instagram will be competing against in this area, has already built a massive viewing base. According to data YouTube published in February 2025, total viewing time of YouTube content on TV screens worldwide averages more than 1 billion hours per day. This figure reflects results as of the end of 2024 and covers overall YouTube viewing on TV devices, not just long-form video.
In the same announcement, YouTube also said that in the United States, TV has overtaken mobile devices to become the largest viewing device by watch time. This trend cannot simply be applied to the world as a whole, but it shows that, at least in the US, the habit of enjoying YouTube on TV as well as on smartphones is firmly established.
YouTube's TV viewing track record has been built over many years of interface improvements and the accumulation of diverse video content. Even if Instagram rolls out Features to its TV app, users will not necessarily pick up the same viewing habits right away. To compete with YouTube in long-form video, Instagram will have to do more than increase time spent on smartphones; it will need to become a service that people watch continuously on their TVs at home.
Instagram's 3 Billion Users and YouTube's 200 Billion Views Cannot Be Compared Directly
A major strength for Instagram as it moves into long-form video is its existing user base. According to data Meta announced in September 2025, Instagram has reached 3 billion monthly active users. Across Meta's apps as a whole, Reels are also reshared more than 4.5 billion times per day. The figures show that short videos are used as part of everyday communication.
Meanwhile, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced in June 2025 that YouTube Shorts now averages more than 200 billion views per day. YouTube also draws enormous viewing with short videos, and it has a foundation for growing its long-form audience through short-form content.
However, these numbers cannot simply be compared to judge which platform is ahead, because each measures a different target and behavior. The main metrics each company has published are organized below.
| Platform | Published metric | Figure | What is measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly active users | 3 billion | Monthly users of Instagram as a whole | |
| Meta's apps | Daily Reels reshares | 4.5 billion+ | Number of times Reels were shared with other users, etc. |
| YouTube Shorts | Average daily views | 200 billion+ | Views of Shorts videos |
Source: Official announcements from Meta and YouTube. Because each metric is defined differently, the relative size of the figures cannot be used to judge which platform is superior.
Instagram's 3 billion monthly users includes people using a variety of Instagram functions, such as viewing photos and Stories and sending and receiving direct messages. It does not represent the number of people who have watched Features, nor does it mean that 3 billion users are interested in long-form video. Likewise, Reels reshares count the number of times content was sent to other users and differ from video views or total watch time.
YouTube Shorts' 200 billion is a view count, and it measures something different from the 4.5 billion reshares Meta published. YouTube's official materials also describe its monthly logged-in viewers only as "billions," and no single figure is given that can be compared on the same definition as Instagram's monthly active users. All of these are data each company tallied on its own, and the services, behaviors, and aggregation periods covered do not necessarily match. It is not appropriate to argue superiority by comparing reshares with views, or to infer long-form video market share from Instagram's overall user count.
Comparing Features and YouTube's long-form video based on currently published information gives the following picture.
| Comparison item | Instagram Features | YouTube long-form video | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum video length | Up to 90 minutes | Up to 12 hours (verified accounts) | Features' 90 minutes is the current test cap |
| Availability | Some US creators; initial test in Brazil | Generally available worldwide | General availability of Features in Japan is undecided |
| Funneling from short videos | Testing direct links from Reels to long-form videos | Related-video link feature for Shorts | Conversion rates to long-form video have not been published in a comparable form |
| TV support | Plans to expand long-form support in the existing TV app | Over 1 billion hours per day of TV viewing worldwide (as of end of 2024) | YouTube's figure is not watch time for long-form video alone |
| Standard ad revenue sharing | No comprehensive standard system announced for Features | 55% of eligible net ad revenue shared | YouTube's 55% applies to partners who meet the conditions |
Given these differences, Instagram's huge user base may help drive adoption of Features, but there is still little to go on in judging whether it can close in on YouTube in the long-form viewing market. What matters most is how many viewers it can lead from short videos to the full-length video, and how consistently they keep watching long-form content.
Creator Revenue Sharing Holds the Key to Adoption
Another factor that will determine whether Features can stand up to YouTube is the mechanism for sharing revenue with creators. Long-form video often takes more time and money to produce than short-form video, so for creators to post consistently, an environment where they can earn commensurate revenue is important. Even if Instagram builds a mechanism to gather viewers, it will not necessarily become an established place to post long-form video unless there are sufficient economic benefits for creators.
YouTube has the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which has been operating for many years. According to YouTube's official monetization policies, creators who meet the eligibility requirements and agree to the "Watch Page Monetization Module" receive 55% of the net revenue from ads shown on the watch pages of their eligible public videos.
It is worth noting that the 55% figure is not a share of the total amount advertisers paid, but a share of net revenue after accounting for certain costs and other factors. This percentage also describes how revenue is allocated when it is generated and does not guarantee any fixed income. The amount actually earned varies with video views, ad impressions, ad prices, and other factors. Moreover, it is not a system applied automatically to all uploaders; it covers creators who meet conditions such as subscriber counts and total watch hours and who have gone through the necessary review and agreements.
By contrast, Instagram has not yet announced a standardized ad revenue-sharing system for Features like YouTube's. It has indicated a policy of letting creators use existing brand deals and sponsorships with Features as well, but it has not been made clear under what conditions it would share ad revenue generated from long-form video plays with creators.
Android Authority has also pointed out that unless a standard ad revenue-sharing mechanism is in place, creators may continue to use YouTube as their main base of activity and simply repost existing videos on Instagram. For creators already making long-form videos on YouTube, reposting to Instagram could be a way to reach new viewers. But producing original long-form content for Instagram would require some prospect of recouping the additional production costs and effort.
The focus going forward will be which range of creators Features is opened to, whether a transparent revenue-sharing system is introduced, and whether original long-form content unique to Instagram emerges. Once the rate of transition from Reels to the full video, long-form watch time, and continued viewing become clear, it will also be possible to assess how far viewers have accepted the new format.
Instagram's latest move is an effort to revisit its conventional strategy centered on short video and bring long-form viewing time into its own service as well. But simply offering the ability to post up to 90 minutes will not close the gap with YouTube, which has spent years building the systems for producing, watching, and monetizing long-form video. Whether Features remains merely a place to repost existing videos or becomes a new platform where creators make their own original programs will depend on future growth in use and the development of a monetization system.