Zuckerberg’s Instagram Takes Aim At YouTube With New 90-Minute Video Test. It Could Be A Tough Sell For Creators
Instagram is testing 90-minute horizontal videos to steal creators and viewers from YouTube, but the platform has a revenue-sharing problem that could stop the whole experiment cold.
Instagram is moving onto YouTube’s territory. On Monday, Instagram, the Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) app, said it is testing “Features,” which are horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long. TechCrunch reported that Instagram built the format for podcasters, comics and other longform creators. Instagram is testing Features and “Clips as Reels” in Brazil. Clips as Reels turns a long video into Reels that link back to the full episode.
A small U.S. test is also starting. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Instagram plans to expand that U.S. test to tens of thousands of creators. Viewers can send longer videos to the Instagram app on their TV, which puts Instagram directly into YouTube’s living-room business. Mediaweek reported that Skims co-founder and podcast host Emma Grede is one of the early participants.
YouTube’s Revenue Split Is the Bar to Beat
TechCrunch reported that creators in YouTube’s Partner Program get 55% of the ad revenue YouTube makes from their videos. YouTube said last year it paid more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies over the previous four years. Instagram doesn’t usually pay creators per view. Mediaweek’s summary of The Hollywood Reporter says Instagram has no current plan to share Features ad revenue with creators, but it hasn’t ruled that out.
Instagram’s Pitch: Brand Deals First
On the Colin and Samir Show, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said: “And right now, the way that it works on Instagram primarily is you primarily get paid by brands.” About Instagram’s small performance-based program, he said: “we spend more money than we make back by a long shot, and so it doesn’t really make sense to scale up because we’re just burning capital.”
A Meta representative told TechCrunch: “It’s too early to share a long-term monetization model, but we’re exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans, and Instagram, including performance-based incentives.” Tessa Lyons, Instagram’s vice president of product, told Mediaweek: “For established creators who already have those relationships, they can bring that content with those placements.”
Why Instagram Wants Long Video Now
Instagram’s case starts with its audience. Meta says Instagram had three billion monthly active users as of September 2025. YouTube had 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content as of January 2025. In the announcement video, Lyons said: “Reels is still going to be a core part of Instagram. But when you want to go deeper with the creators you love and the content that they’re creating, you should be able to do that on Instagram.” On the TV app, Mosseri said: “I’m actually very excited about it, and we’re very committed to it long term.”
Longer viewing sessions also mean more ad inventory. Meta’s third-quarter results show advertising revenue of $63.06B, up 26%, while the average price per ad rose 14%. On the earnings call, CFO Susan Li said Instagram time spent per user “reached an all-time high and grew double digits year over year in Q3”. Partnership ads, the product that lets advertisers run ads with creators, grew over 97% and passed a $15 billion annual revenue run rate.
IGTV’s Failure Still Hangs Over the Test
Instagram has tried long video before. It launched IGTV in 2018 and shut it down in 2022. Mosseri said in the announcement video: “For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram.” Lyons pressed for the change.
What Creators Should Weigh Before Moving
Based on how the two platforms pay today, we think Features will be a tough sell for creators who depend on ad revenue. Established podcasters who already have sponsors can carry those deals over and pick up reach. Smaller creators who live on YouTube’s revenue share have less reason to move. A practical approach is to use Features for reach and keep YouTube as the platform that pays. Since Instagram has left the door open to paying creators later, any performance-based payout would change that calculation.
Meta and Alphabet Now Compete for the Living Room
For Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), the business at interest is large. YouTube ads brought in $11.21B in the third quarter, and Alphabet passed 150 million YouTube Music and Premium subscribers, including trials. Investor attention has switched to spending. After Alphabet’s report, investors considered quarterly capex of $51,355 million and the cash burn behind it. Meta stock is down 12.19% over the past week, after a third quarter that included a $9.89B legal settlement charge. Over the past year, Meta has fallen 18.23% and Alphabet has gained 21.79%.
Shareholders of either company have a few things to track: how fast the U.S. test grows, whether Instagram adds creator payouts, and whether Meta reaches its fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $73–76B.
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AJ spent 10 years writing about financial markets at The Motley Fool. His coverage centers on technology stocks and the broader macroeconomic trends, from interest rates to geopolitics, that shape where markets are headed next. AJ is drawn to the stories where big-picture economics and individual companies collide.
