Instagram tests 90-minute 'Features' videos: what India should know
Instagram is testing horizontal videos up to 90 minutes in Brazil and the US. It isn't live in India yet. Here's what it means for Indian creators and brands.
· 3 min read
On 26 October 2026, Instagram began testing 'Features', horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, with select creators in Brazil and the US. India is not part of the test and no India launch date has been announced. Instagram has also not announced how creators will be paid for these videos, so brand deals remain the main way to earn from them.
Instagram has started testing long videos. The format is called Features: horizontal (widescreen) videos of up to 90 minutes, aimed at podcasts, interviews and vlogs. Instagram head Adam Mosseri and VP of product Tessa Lyons previewed it in a video on Monday, 26 October 2026, as Social Media Today and The A.V. Club reported.
It is a notable reversal. "For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram," Mosseri said, as quoted by The A.V. Club.
Is Instagram Features available in India?
Not yet. The test started with creators in Brazil and is now expanding to a small group of select creators in the US. Business Today notes that Indian creators should not assume the feature is available to them, and Open magazine points out that the announcement sets no India launch date. Instagram says it plans to expand the test in the coming months, without naming countries.
How does the format work?
Three pieces matter for anyone planning content:
- Length and shape: up to 90 minutes, horizontal. Reports describe 90 minutes as the ceiling Instagram is testing, not a final rule.
- Clips that point to the full video: a related test called Clips as Reels lets creators link up to eight short Reels back to one longer video, according to Social Media Today. Short clips do the discovery; the long video holds the viewer.
- Placement: GSMArena reports the clips can show in Explore with a button to watch the full video, and that Features will reach the mobile app first, with Instagram's TV app later.
How will creators get paid?
That is the open question. Instagram has not announced a revenue share for Features. A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch it is too early to share a long-term model, as Business Today reported, and the company talks broadly about earning through brands, fans and Instagram itself. Compare that with YouTube, which pays eligible creators 55% of net ad revenue on long videos.
Until Instagram says more, the money in long Instagram videos will come mainly from what already pays Indian creators: sponsorships and integrations negotiated directly with brands.
Should Indian brands change plans now?
Not the budget, but the brief. Nothing changes in India today. What is worth doing is preparing: long podcast and interview content already performs on YouTube in India, and many creators already shoot horizontal episodes and cut them into Reels. If Features arrives here, that workflow fits it directly.
Two cautions. First, a test can change shape or be withdrawn, and Instagram has tried long video before with IGTV. Second, early coverage disagrees on details such as TV availability, so treat specifics as provisional until Instagram confirms them for India.
Our take from Delhi
We would not pay a premium for 'Instagram long-form' in any India contract yet, because the format isn't here. We would, though, start writing usage rights for long horizontal cuts into current creator deals, since renegotiating later costs more. The creators best placed are the ones already running podcasts and interview formats, and that is the content to back now on YouTube.
- Don't plan or pay for Instagram long-form placements in India yet; the Features test covers Brazil and the US only.
- Add rights for long horizontal edits and cut-down Reels to new creator contracts so you can reuse content if Features launches here.
- Back podcast and interview creators on YouTube now; that content transfers directly if Instagram brings Features to India.
- Expect creators to price long Instagram videos as brand integrations, since Instagram has announced no ad revenue share for them.
Questions people ask
What is Instagram Features?
Features is Instagram's test of horizontal, long-form videos up to 90 minutes, announced on 26 October 2026 and aimed at formats like podcasts, interviews and vlogs.
Is Instagram's 90-minute video feature available in India?
No. As of early November 2026 the test is limited to select creators in Brazil and the US, and Instagram has not announced an India launch date.
Do Instagram creators earn ad revenue from Features videos?
Instagram has not announced a revenue share for Features. Meta has said it is too early to share a long-term monetisation model, so brand deals remain the main income route.
Sources
- Instagram Rolls Out Limited Features Test in the US Social Media Today
- Instagram is trying out 90-minute videos The A.V. Club
- Meta brings long-form videos to Instagram: should YouTube be worried? Business Today
- Instagram is testing longform videos called Features GSMArena
- EXPLAINED: Instagram Wants 90 Minutes of Your Time. Should YouTube Worry? Open
Written by the Unpixel Media team from the reporting above. Spotted a mistake? Write to connect@unpixel.in and we'll correct it.
