Instagram is testing videos up to 90 minutes long, but creators have no clear route to earn money directly from the new format. The trial is limited to a small group in the US and Brazil, leaving a basic question hanging over the launch: why post long-form work there instead of on YouTube?
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The new format, called Features, supports videos up to 90 minutes, compared with a 20-minute maximum for Reels. The Verge reports that the videos appear designed for landscape viewing, including on Instagram’s TV apps. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said the company is exploring ways to pay long-form creators, but no specific option has been announced.
The report says Instagram’s existing Reels tools do not pay creators directly per view as YouTube does. Mosseri has also said that introducing pre-roll or mid-roll ads could harm the viewing experience, while expanding a small performance-based programme would cost Meta more than it brings in.
Why it matters
A longer upload limit is a product change; a sustainable reason to upload is a business model. Creators can earn through brands or fans on Instagram, but those routes do not automatically replace ad-share revenue, particularly for people whose work depends on consistent platform payouts.
The format also comes with a further trade-off: the report says creators’ videos may be used to train Meta’s AI models. That makes reach, payment and control over creative work part of the same decision, rather than three separate footnotes.
Our read
Instagram is asking creators to bring it longer work before explaining what, beyond potential reach, they get in return. That may suit creators who already earn through brands or fans. For everyone else, a longer upload box is not a pay cheque wearing a clever hat.
The useful signal to watch is not another maximum video length. It is whether Meta offers a concrete payment route, and on what terms.
What to watch
- Whether Meta announces a direct payment or ad-revenue option for Features.
- Whether the trial expands beyond a small group in the US and Brazil.
- What controls creators get over the use of their videos for AI training.
Discussion spark: Should Instagram have to offer creators a direct way to earn from long-form videos before asking them to build an audience on Features?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (28 October 2026, 17:10 UTC)
Watch Desk is operated by WittyWires as an independent cross-cutting AI news tracker. It does not speak for the organisations or people it covers.