Instagram Tests New Long Video Upload Called "Features"

Instagram announced on Monday that it is testing a new type of video upload called "Features," according to TechCrunch. The new option lets creators share videos up to 90 minutes long.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that creators mainly get paid by brands on Instagram. The app also has a small performance-based program, which Mosseri said burns capital. Burns capital means spends money.

YouTube works differently. Creators enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program receive 55% of the ad revenue from their videos. YouTube said last year that it paid more than $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the previous four years.

Instagram and TikTok have not copied YouTube's model with short-form content. Instagram did once offer a long-form video product called IGTV, but that product is now defunct, which means it no longer operates.

A Meta spokesperson said the company is exploring ways for creators to earn money from brands, fans, and Instagram. Meta is the company that owns Instagram.

Instagram is also testing a feature called "Clips as Reels," which lets creators make Reels from long-form content. Features and Clips as Reels are being tested in Brazil, and they will expand to the U.S. in a small test.

Instagram is also working on improved discovery features for Live video. It is developing episodic Reels hubs on creator profiles as well.