Instagram is testing a new feature for long videos on its platform. With it, selected creators will be able to upload horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. The company aims to provide podcasts, comedy and other long-form video viewers with complete content on Instagram. Currently, this test is going on with some creators in America. Earlier it was also tested in Brazil.
How will the new feature work?
The company’s product vice president Tessa Lyons and head Adam Moseri gave information about Instagram’s new feature format through a video. Under this feature, creators will be able to share short clips of their long videos on Reels. This will allow users to watch the entire video and not have to leave Instagram for any other platform. For example, if a user watches a short clip of a podcast on Reels, he can also watch its full episode on the same platform. Instagram will also show these long videos in the Explore section and other parts of the app.
This initial test included names such as podcast host and Skims co-founder Emma Grade, beauty and fashion creator Monet McMichael, interviewer Preston Rakowski and football content creator Donald De La Haye. The company plans to expand this testing to thousands of creators in the future.
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Will YouTube face direct competition?
Instagram’s move is seen as an attempt to challenge YouTube’s long video format. Podcasts, interviews, comedy shows and long videos are already popular on YouTube. There, eligible creators receive 55 percent of advertising revenue. Instagram previously tried to introduce long videos through IGTV, but later the company stopped this feature and started focusing more on reels. Now through features the company is once again trying to make its place in the field of long videos.
You can also watch Instagram videos on TV
Instagram doesn’t want to limit long videos to mobile only. The company is also gearing up to improve the experience of watching videos on TV. In the US, Instagram’s TV app is available on Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TVs, and Google TVs. The company is preparing to bring support for Apple TV as well.
Instagram is also experimenting with making the experience of watching videos on TV more interactive. This can include options such as using a mobile phone as a remote, knowing what videos friends are watching, and saving videos to the mobile and watching them later on TV.
What is the creator’s earnings plan?
Instagram is also working on partnership opportunities with brands for creators participating in this test. Creators will be able to include sponsored content in their videos. However, the company has not yet clarified how video makers will monetize the ads through the features.
Apart from this, Instagram is also testing a feature called Series. In this, reels relating to the same subject can be organized into different episodes. The company is also making changes to Instagram Live so that creators’ live streams can reach people who don’t follow them. The test is currently underway in Indonesia and Brazil. It is also planned to be launched in America next year.
