Instagram chases YouTube with a push for longer, widescreen videos

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Features-on-PhoneTV-1_1-reorder.png?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,20.1046875,100,74.7703125" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instagram is announcing a big push into longform horizontal video, which the platform is calling "Features."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has been against doing longform video on the platform "for a long time," he says in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/De9m9lchZXj/">six-and-a-half-minute video</a> (here's the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/De9ZzxeAJ76/">widescreen version</a>) with VP of product Tessa Lyons, saying that "one of my concerns has been, how do we make sure that we keep Instagram not just about entertainment, but about connecting with friends. If you watch a longform video, that's "it's a lot of Reels, photos, and carousels that you might not have sent to a friend," meaning less likes and shares.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/De9m9lchZXj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/De9m9lchZXj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> <div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div></div></div></div><div></div> <div></div><div> <div>View this post on …</div></div></a></div></blockquote></div></figure> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1018688/instagram-longform-widescreen-video-features-youtube">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>