TECHNOLOGY · FOCUS
Instagram tests Features to host long-form horizontal videos
Instagram is announcing Features, a long-form horizontal video format being tested on a small scale in the United States and with creators in Brazil. The platform is also experimenting with connections between short clips and long-form content, without announcing a general rollout.
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Instagram is announcing a new move toward long-form horizontal videos with a format called Features. According to The Verge, a platform spokesperson confirms an expansion of the small-scale test in the United States and trials with selected creators in Brazil. The available information does not describe availability for all users.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, explains that he had long been reluctant to develop long-form video. His concern centered on the role of exchanges between friends: time spent on long-form content can reduce the time spent sharing Reels, photos or carousels. The platform is now seeking ways for the formats to complement each other, for example through podcasts or comedy shows that can also provide short clips.
Instagram is also testing clips that link to a long-form video, the creation of Reels series and improved discovery of live videos. These trials give concrete form to this effort to connect content.
The announcement also comes as Instagram develops its app for televisions, which initially focused on Reels. One interpretation is that the aim is to make the same content accessible in several viewing contexts. The published information does not, however, allow an assessment of Features adoption or its effect on exchanges between users.