Instagram is preparing a very important change in the way we watch videos inside the app. After years focused on short-form Reels to compete with TikTok, the platform is taking a step toward longer content with the new Features, a new format that will offer horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes directly on Instagram. Did someone say YouTube?
From a Reel to a full episode
As reported in The Hollywood Reporter, Instagram has begun the first tests of the Features format with some creators in the United States, after trying it out in Brazil. The feature is especially intended for podcasts, but also interviews and comedy shows. The idea is to connect short videos with full-length versions, if we want to see more.
The idea is that if we find something interesting on Reels, we’ll be able to tap it to continue watching the full episode directly within Instagram. An interesting evolution that will no doubt remind us of YouTube Shorts as a way to promote longer productions.
Instagram also wants to conquer our television
Features videos will appear in the Explore tab and among the app’s recommendations. The move also ties in with another closely related development: the app is now available on Apple TV in the United States, where the horizontal format makes even more sense.
While Netflix expands its catalog of video podcasts and platforms are looking to attract creators, with the new Features, we’ll be able to go from discovering a video to watching the whole thing in the same app. Interesting. If you’re not YouTube, of course.
