Instagram is coming for your TV. In the span of a week, Instagram started testing Features, a format for horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, and brought its TV app to Apple TV. Put together, the two launches build the most direct path Instagram has ever had from a phone screen to the couch. Adam Mosseri has also been clear about who will pay for the long-form side of that trip, at least for now: brands.
Below, we break down what Instagram announced, why this attempt at long-form looks different from IGTV, and what brands should do while the format is still new enough to negotiate.
Table of Contents
What Instagram announced
On October 26, Adam Mosseri and VP Tessa Lyons introduced Features, Instagram’s biggest move into long-form video since it retired IGTV. The test is running in Brazil first and expanding to a small group of creators in the US. This launch came just a few days after Instagram’s TV app landed on Apple TV, rounding out a week of launches that all point toward the same place: the biggest screen in the house.
Here’s what’s new:
Features: Creators can post horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, built for formats like podcasts, vlogs, and interviews.
Linked Reels: Select creators can post a Reel that links directly to the full-length Feature, so a short clip works as an entry point to the longer episode.
Series: A dedicated section for episodic Reels is coming next, giving recurring shows a home on the platform.
Instagram for TV on Apple TV: As of October 23, the app is available on Apple TV, joining Fire TV, Google TV, and Samsung smart TVs with Reels, longer videos, and live shows. It also includes a way to watch with friends and family.
Why this attempt looks different from IGTV
Marketers remember this isn’t Instagram’s first time trying long-form, as IGTV launched in 2018 and was retired in 2022. Plenty of creators will keep their long videos on YouTube, where Partner Program creators keep 55% of ad revenue.
The difference now is distribution. IGTV sat off to the side in its own app, so people had to go looking for it. Features hang off Reels, the format people already share most. A clip someone sends in DMs can link straight to the full episode, which viewers can then save to watch later on the TV app. That’s a direct line from the group chat to the couch.
Until now, that path only ran one way. Creators used Instagram for reach, then sent audiences to YouTube, a podcast, or a Substack for depth, and every hop moved attention and ad dollars off the platform. Features and Linked Reels keep the whole trip inside one app, which means creators can test long-form without rebuilding an audience somewhere else.
Mosseri said shorter content like Reels drive more shares and DMs than longer videos. In this setup, the Reel becomes the trailer that’s shared, and the Feature becomes the episode.
The business model runs on brand deals
For brands, the most important part of this launch is how it gets paid for. Speaking on The Colin and Samir Show, Mosseri said that on Instagram, “you primarily get paid by brands.” He added that scaling up Instagram’s small performance-based payout program doesn’t make sense, since it already loses money. Meta has also said it’s too early to share a long-term payout model for Features.
Until that model exists, brand partnerships are what will fund long-form creator content on Instagram. Some creators are already well positioned for it. Shows like “Subway Takes” and “Brooklyn Coffee Shop,” which Instagram cited as examples for the upcoming Series test, have the recurring host and recognizable format that sponsors already buy on YouTube and podcasts.
For now, creators need sponsors more than sponsors need any one creator, which puts brands in a strong position to negotiate.
What this means for brands
Audiences already watch creator video on the couch. YouTube took a record 16% of US TV viewing in August, about double Netflix’s 8%, according to Nielsen data. Tessa Lyons has said a strong TV experience takes more than short-form, which is why Features and the TV app arrived together. For brands, that shifts how Instagram long-form should be planned, priced, and measured.
Treat it like a CTV buy
A sponsored Feature watched on a living room TV has more in common with a connected TV placement than a feed post. That may mean a different budget owner, different creative, and different success metrics, like completion rate and co-viewing. Brands that bring their social and video teams into the same conversation early will have an easier time deciding where this spend lives.
Move while the leverage is yours
Creators need funding, the format has no going rate, and Instagram needs early wins to prove Features can work. That combination gives first-mover brands room to shape pricing, placement, and terms before benchmarks settle in. Once the format matures, those advantages tend to disappear.
Prioritize series over one-off sponsorships
The formats sponsors already pay for on YouTube and podcasts are recurring shows with a consistent host. Instagram’s upcoming Series section is built around the same idea. Forming a long-term creator partnership by funding a run of episodes builds familiarity with an audience over time. Pairing a Feature sponsorship with Linked Reels also gives brands a built-in distribution layer, since the short clips are what get shared.
Lock in long-form terms up front
Compared to short-form content, long-form requires more planning around the brief and terms. Before content production starts, get clarity on:
Host-read sponsorships and how they’re delivered
Runtime and placement of the integration within the episode
Usage rights, including whether cutdowns can run as Reels or paid ads
Vet for watch time, beyond short-form reach
A creator who’s great at 30-second Reels isn’t automatically as engaging for a 30-minute video. Holding attention for an episode is a different skill than stopping a scroll, so look for creators with a track record in long-form, whether that’s on YouTube, a podcast, or a livestream. Later EdgeAI and our creator directory can help brands find and vet creators based on the performance data that matters for longer content.
Ask these questions before you sign
Because Features is still a test, the measurement and ad tools around it are still taking shape. Before committing budget, ask creators and their teams:
What watch-time and completion data will you share with us, and how often?
If the Features test changes or ends, where will the content live, and how does that affect the deal?
Then check with your Instagram partner rep or platform team:
Do partnership ads and whitelisting extend to Features?
How will TV views be reported compared to mobile views?
Clear answers on both sides will help brands judge early results fairly and decide how much to invest as the format expands.
Why early sponsors have the advantage
Every platform is racing to own the trip from a 30-second clip to a 90-minute episode. On Instagram, brands are paying for the second half. While Features is still in testing, the brands that experiment early will help set the pricing, formats, and measurement standards everyone else inherits later.
If you’re ready to explore long-form creator partnerships on Instagram, our influencer marketing services team can help you find the right creators, structure the deal, and measure what’s working from day one.
