Eight Reels, one 90-minute Feature and no ad-revenue share at launch. (Image Courtesy: Instagram/@AdamMosseri)
NEW DELHI: Instagram announced on 26 October 2026 that it is testing “Features”, a horizontal video format with runtimes of up to 90 minutes. The trial began with select creators in Brazil and has now reached a limited United States cohort. However, Meta has confirmed that no YouTube-style ad-revenue share accompanies the launch.
From Opponent to Advocate
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri spent years resisting long-form video. His concern was that extended viewing turned users into passive consumers and reduced likes, comments and messages to friends. Notably, he had earlier said long-form video underperformed on every internal engagement metric except watch time.
Alongside Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons, he now calls short-form and long-form video “symbiotic”. Meta’s own assessment explains the shift. Creators were posting teaser clips on Reels and then sending audiences to YouTube for the full episode. Features is designed to keep that journey inside Instagram.
How the Funnel Works
The product runs on a mechanism called “Clips as Reels”. Creators publish vertical teasers, typically under three minutes, as ordinary Reels. Each carries a link to the 16:9 master video, and up to eight Reels can point to a single Feature. Consequently, one episode can generate several entry points.
Tapping the link opens a widescreen player without leaving the app. Features also surfaces in the main feed, Explore and profile grids, as well as the Instagram TV app. That app now covers Apple TV (tvOS 26.0 or later) alongside Fire TV, Google TV and Samsung Smart TVs. Meanwhile, viewers can discover clips on mobile and beam the full video to a television.
Lessons from IGTV
Instagram has attempted this before. IGTV launched in 2018 and was phased out by 2022. It forced landscape video into vertical framing, lived in a standalone app and lacked links to the main feed. Features, by contrast, uses native widescreen and relies on Reels as its acquisition engine. Furthermore, Meta is staging the rollout from Brazil to the US instead of launching worldwide at once.
Reach Against Revenue
Instagram counts about 3.0 billion monthly active users against YouTube’s 2.58 to 2.80 billion. YouTube, however, holds structural advantages. Creators receive 55% of Partner Program ad revenue, search drives intentional viewing and YouTube Premium has 125 million subscribers. Its app is also pre-installed across smart TVs.
Instagram’s strength lies in top-of-funnel attention. Yet the risk is real, since 90-minute videos inside a feed built for fast vertical scrolling could frustrate users who want quick updates. For YouTube, the threat is incremental. It loses watch hours if viewers consume both teaser and full episode on Instagram.
The Dual-Posting Dilemma
Long-form production demands studios, audio engineering and post-production, so creators need dependable returns. Without a programmatic ad split, they are unlikely to grant Instagram exclusive windows. Instead, the dossier’s assessment points to cross-posting, with YouTube earning AdSense revenue while Features adds reach and sponsorship opportunities.
Lyons said Meta is striking individual commercial deals with launch partners, including Emma Grede, Monet McMichael and Donald De La Haye. Preston Rakovsky is also among the early testers. Monetisation currently rests on brand partnerships and performance bonuses. Until a transparent revenue-sharing system emerges, Features looks more like a promotional channel than an independent business for mid-tier creators.
India in the Frame
India matters to both companies. YouTube’s audience here is estimated at 500 million to 518 million monthly users, while Instagram reports over 472 million active accounts. Meta has also used India before, selecting it alongside the US and Mexico to pilot “Series”, an episodic Reels directory, in spring 2026.
Features is not yet in India, though the Instagram TV app is already on the Apple TV App Store here. Notably, video podcasts, long-form stand-up and connected television are all growing, helped by average mobile data use of 24GB a month. Podcasters and comedians who now use Reels to steer audiences to YouTube could eventually host full episodes on Instagram. Since many rely on AdSense to fund production, localised monetisation will probably decide adoption.
Signals to Track
Five indicators will show whether Features avoids the fate of IGTV. First, watch how quickly testing extends beyond the US and Brazil to markets such as India. Second, see whether Meta introduces ad-revenue sharing or stays with bonuses and brand deals. Third, independent watch-time data from television apps will reveal whether living-room viewing materialises. Fourth, any YouTube response, such as changes to Shorts linking or podcast revenue splits, deserves attention. Finally, the algorithm must balance social engagement with long viewing sessions.
If Meta answers the monetisation question, Features could become a serious second home for long-form video. If it does not, the format may remain what creators already suspect it is, a very good trailer for someone else’s cinema.
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