Instagram Launches Longform Widescreen Video Format Called Features
Instagram is testing longform video in the US and with select creators in Brazil, reversing Adam Mosseri’s previous opposition over concerns it could reduce social interactions. The six-and-a-half-minute announcement also previewed clips, Reels series, and improved live discovery.
Instagram announced in October 2026 a push into longform horizontal video with a new format it is calling “Features,” marking a significant shift in the platform’s video strategy.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri and VP of product Tessa Lyons revealed the initiative in a six-and-a-half-minute video. Mosseri acknowledged he had been opposed to longform video on the platform “for a long time,” citing concerns that extended viewing could reduce the social interactions — likes, shares, and messages to friends — that define Instagram’s identity. “If you watch a longform video, that’s a lot of Reels, photos, and carousels that you might not have sent to a friend,” he said.
The team is now working to make shortform and longform video “symbiotic,” Mosseri said, pointing to formats like podcasts or comedy specials that can exist as both full-length videos and shorter clips.
Features are currently expanding to the US in a small test and are also being tested with select creators in Brazil, according to Instagram spokesperson Megan Buckley. Alongside Features, Instagram is testing several related tools: clips that point viewers to a longer video, a way for creators to organize content into a Reels “series,” and improvements to live video discovery.
The announcement follows Instagram’s launch of a TV app late last year, which debuted as a Reels-focused experience on Amazon Fire TV devices in the US. The app has since expanded to Google TV, Samsung TVs, and Apple TV, and added the ability to watch Stories earlier in 2026.
Mosseri also discussed the updates with creators Samir Chaudry and Colin Rosenblum, whose video includes clips showing how longform content will appear on the platform. The rollout suggests Instagram may be positioning itself to compete more directly with platforms built around longer video content.