For years, YouTube has been the clear winner for content creators looking to make money on social media. While short-form vertical videos rule the internet today, they are hard to monetise directly.
Now, Instagram is planning a major change to challenge YouTube.The Meta-owned company is testing a brand-new video format called "Features" that lets creators upload horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long.Why YouTube is hard to beatShort clips on platforms like Instagram and TikTok get millions of views, but they do not leave much room for advertisements. Because of this, creators mostly rely on brand deals rather than earning money directly from the app.YouTube has a completely different and highly successful model.
The platform places ads on videos and shares 55 per cent of that revenue directly with the creators. This system works so well that YouTube has paid out more than $100 billion to creators and media companies over the last four years.
Instagram wants to stop its users and creators from leaving for YouTube by bringing long-form videos right into its own app. How Instagram 'Features' will workInstagram Features is currently being tested with a select group of creators in the US, following earlier trials in Brazil.
This new tool supports 90-minute horizontal videos, making it an ideal format for podcasts, deep-dive vlogs, and comedy specials.To make sure short and long videos help each other, Instagram is bringing in a tool called "Clips as Reels". Creators will be able to cut a short Reel from their 90-minute Feature.
When viewers watch this Reel, they will see a direct link to the full-length video. Users can also save these longer videos to their phones or cast them to their televisions.
To make TV viewing better, Instagram is expanding its TV app to Apple TV, joining existing support for Samsung, Fire TV, and Google TV.Will creators make money?The biggest question is whether Instagram will show ads in these long videos and share the money with creators, just like YouTube. Right now, Instagram does not have a set ad revenue-sharing plan for Features, but the company knows creators need to be paid.A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that they are looking into performance-based incentives and building new ways for creators to earn money from fans and brands.Instagram head Adam Mosseri also shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, to clear up the confusion.
He noted that they are slowly testing the format and understand that the financial side is extremely important. Mosseri promised that the team is actively exploring different ways to help long-form creators get paid and will keep everyone updated.A second attempt at long videosThis is not the first time Instagram has tried long videos.
In 2018, the company launched a separate app called IGTV. It failed to attract viewers away from YouTube and TikTok, and Instagram shut it down in 2022.Adam Mosseri admitted in an announcement video that he was against bringing long videos back because short Reels drive more sharing among users.
However, Instagram's Vice President of Product, Tessa Lyons, convinced him to try again. She explained that while Reels will stay at the core of Instagram, users should be able to watch deeper content from their favourite creators without switching to another app.Along with Features, Instagram is also testing another tool called "Series".
This will let creators organise related episodic Reels into a special space on their profiles, making it easy for followers to watch an ongoing story from start to finish.- Ends