Instagram Features: What 90 Minute Horizontal Videos Mean for Creators

For years Instagram told creators to go vertical and keep it short. Now it wants your full episode. Instagram Features is a new test, announced on October 26, 2026, that lets selected creators post horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, with short Reels pointing viewers to the full piece. If you make podcasts, interviews, docs, vlogs or short films, this is the biggest format change on the platform since Reels.

Here is what is confirmed, what is still unknown, how it stacks up against YouTube, and how to shoot and plan so you are ready when access opens up.

What Is Instagram Features?

Features is Instagram's home for content that does not fit a Reel: full podcast episodes, comedy sets, interviews, travel vlogs and shows. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, and VP of product Tessa Lyons introduced the test together. Lyons framed it around the living room, saying the best way to watch long horizontal content is on a big horizontal screen, and that she expects much of this viewing to move to TVs over time.

That is the real story. Instagram's TV app launched on Amazon Fire TV in the US in December 2025, then reached Google TV and Samsung TVs, with Apple TV following. Features is the content that app needs, and the app is set to prioritise it.

Instagram has tried this before. IGTV launched in 2018 with vertical videos up to an hour, then folded back into the main app and was shut down as a standalone app in 2022. The difference this time is horizontal framing, TV distribution and Reels doing the job of a trailer.

What We Know So Far

Detail	Status in the test
Length	Up to 90 minutes, with several limits still being tested
Orientation	Horizontal, built for TV viewing
Who can post	Selected US creators; expanding to tens of thousands in the US
Eligibility rules	Not published; no application form
Discovery	Main feed, Explore, TV app and linked Reels
Ad revenue share	None for now, not ruled out later
Exclusivity	Not required; existing brand deals carry over

Technical specs such as resolution, frame rate and file size have not been published yet. Until they are, master in 16:9 at the highest quality you deliver to YouTube and you will be safe.

Instagram Features vs YouTube

Factor	Instagram Features	YouTube
Access	Invite only test	Open to everyone
Ad earnings	No revenue share yet	55% of net watch page ad revenue for Partner Program members
Audience source	Your followers plus Reels and Explore	Search, suggested and home feed
Short to long funnel	Reels link to the full Feature	Shorts sit on the same channel as your long videos
Best for	Creators whose audience already lives on Instagram	Search driven, evergreen and ad funded content

My read: YouTube stays the home for long content you want to earn ad money from and be found through search. Features is a second window for the same episode, aimed at an audience that already knows your face from Reels. Because exclusivity is not required, you do not have to choose.

How to Prepare for Instagram Features Now

1. Shoot horizontal masters. Treat 16:9 as your hero format for podcasts, interviews and docs, and cut verticals from it.
2. Plan your Reels as trailers. Every long piece should yield several strong vertical clips with a clear reason to watch the full episode.
3. Build episodes, not one offs. Instagram is also testing Series, a profile section that groups episodic Reels. Recurring formats will slot into both.
4. Grade and mix for a TV. If the TV app gets priority, viewers will judge your sound and image on a 55 inch screen, not a phone. Fix noise, loudness and skin tones.
5. Write chapters into the edit. Long videos live or die by structure. Give each segment its own hook so clips work alone and the full piece holds attention.
6. Package brand deals for long form. With no ad share yet, sponsors are your income. Pitch integrations that run across the Feature and its linked Reels.

What It Means for Creators in India

Features is not available in India yet, and Instagram has not shared a global timeline. Series has reportedly been tested in India alongside the US and Mexico, so episodic thinking pays off here first. For Indian filmmakers and brands, the smart move is to build the library now: horizontal episodes on YouTube, vertical cutdowns on Instagram, both from one shoot. When Features opens up, you will have a back catalogue ready to upload instead of starting from zero.

FAQ

Final Cut

Instagram Features is still a test, and without an ad share it will not replace YouTube for most creators. But the direction is clear: Instagram wants long, horizontal, TV ready content, with Reels as the trailer. Shoot wide masters, protect a vertical safe zone, think in episodes and grade for the big screen. Do that today and you win twice, on YouTube now and on Instagram when the doors open.

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