Instagram Tests 90-Minute Videos to Compete for Podcasts

Instagram has begun testing a feature that lets creators publish videos up to 90 minutes long, a move aimed at widening its footprint in digital entertainment and competing with platforms built around long-form content such as podcasts.

The company said the test is running with a select group of creators in the United States. They can post full-length videos and connect them to short Reels, which typically run no longer than three minutes. The feature is named "Features", according to the announcement.

How it works

The feature targets podcast hosts, comedians and other long-form creators. Tessa Lyons, Instagram's vice president of product, said a user could watch a short clip from a favorite podcast, then tap it to keep watching or jump straight to the full video. Creators will be able to attach their Reels to the complete versions of their work.

Instagram had already begun testing the feature with creators in Brazil and plans to expand the trial to tens of thousands of creators in the US. Long videos are set to appear in recommendations on the Explore page, as well as in other sections of the app.

Early participants include podcast host and Skims co-founder Emma Grede, fashion and beauty creator Monet McMichael, Preston Rakowski, who interviews New Yorkers about love and relationships, and football creator Donald De La Haye.

Beyond the phone

The feature will be available on mobile. Instagram also wants to bring long-form viewing to its TV app, which it launched last year with Samsung, Fire TV and Google TV before expanding to Apple TV devices in the US.

For viewers, the change could make Instagram a place to watch entire episodes rather than only clips. For creators, it offers a way to funnel short-video audiences toward longer work without leaving the platform. The step is part of Instagram's effort to broaden the types of content it offers beyond short video.