EQUIPThe Verge · 1h ago
Instagram chases YouTube with a push for longer, widescreen videos
Executive Brief
The 30-second read
Instagram is launching "Features," a new initiative focused on long-form horizontal video content. This strategic shift directly challenges YouTube's dominance in the widescreen market despite previous internal resistance from leadership.
- 01Introduction of Features marks a pivot toward long-form horizontal video formats
- 02Instagram leadership has abandoned its long-standing opposition to non-vertical content
- 03The move positions the platform as a direct competitor to YouTube for video creators
- 04Product executives confirmed the strategic shift via a new widescreen announcement video
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Business Travel Management 2026: Program Blueprint →AI-generated summary · Verify at source
Instagram is announcing a big push into longform horizontal video, which the platform is calling "Features." Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has been against doing longform video on the platform "for a long time," he says in a six-and-a-half-minute video (here's the widescreen version) with VP of product Tessa Lyons, saying that "one of my concerns […]