Instagram has begun testing 90-minute videos on its platform in the United States. This possibility is part of a series of new features that the Meta-owned social network has announced with the goal of accommodating more types of content and increasing the time users spend on the platform. Instagram Raises the Stakes for Long-Form Videos Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, and Tessa Lyons, VP of Product at Instagram, shared a collaborative reel in which they announced that Instagram had begun to embrace long-form videos. Mosseri himself had initially expressed reservations about this: “For a long time, I’ve been against including long-form videos on Instagram, as Tessa knows, but now we’re going to embrace it, for several reasons that we’ll discuss today.” I must admit that, at first, Instagram’s decision surprised me. However, I soon remembered that, until now, the social network already allowed videos of up to 60 minutes, so the longer format was already a possibility. This 30-minute extension demonstrates that the social network wants to continue betting on longer content, in stark contrast to its strategy in recent years, where short videos were central (largely to compete with TikTok). In this new phase, YouTube would be the rival to beat. Currently, the Google-owned platform is the undisputed queen of long-form videos. From podcasts to vlogs, tutorials, and interviews, this social network's native content remains a bastion of attention to longer content. At first glance, it seems surprising that Instagram, a platform that has cultivated immediacy and short, dynamic videos, is now trying to offer the opposite to its users. Of course, they are not mutually exclusive, since the same person can enjoy an hour-long podcast and also scroll through videos that are less than a minute long. What Instagram will have to work on is the idea of ​​content and activity it's associated with, to resonate with people as a valid option where they'll spend more time consuming longer content. On the other hand, this could also lead to the arrival of new monetization options for Instagram creators (with varying degrees of inspiration from those offered by YouTube). So we'll be keeping a close eye on any announcements Meta might make in this regard. Clips as Reels Likewise, to complete the picture, the social network has also introduced a new related feature called "Clips as Reels." This allows influencers to convert their longer videos into Reels and use these short clips to link to the full video. This feature serves to generate bite-sized pieces of content from the main video and, in turn, helps to promote it. As Mosseri explains, “We’re excited about the idea that long-form videos can also be presented in a short format. For example, you already do this often: you take your podcasts, break them up, and use platforms like Instagram as an entry point (the top of the funnel) to generate interest; then, users can go to a podcast platform, YouTube, or somewhere else to watch the full content. If, for example, you wanted to use this video and post it on Instagram, our goal would be to make things easier for you by providing tools that allow you to segment it into shorter clips. These snippets can then function as short videos, and users who want to delve deeper have the option to access the full content.” Instagram has announced that it will begin rolling out “Clips as Reels” to select creators in the United States this week, after having previously tested it in Brazil earlier this year.