Instagram has its sights set on long-form content. The social app appears to be raising the maximum runtime on its Reels format, which could soon support ten-minute-long uploads.
Currently, the max video length on Instagram Reels is three minutes. But according to Alessandro Paluzzi, a change is in the works. Paluzzi, who is known for finding details about upcoming tech products, shared a screenshot of a new version of Reels. His findings indicate that Instagram is about to triple the maximum runtime on Reels.
#Instagram is working on the ability to create #Reels up to 10 minutes long 👀 pic.twitter.com/jQTUM9fPsM
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— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) August 30, 2023
In response to a query from TechCrunch, Instagram confirmed that it is “internally testing” the ability to create ten-minute-long Reels. That change would allow Reels to keep up with competing formats like YouTube Shorts and TikTok. Shorts uploads are capped at one minute, but YouTube supports longer videos through its horizontal format. TikTok raised its max video length from three minutes to ten minutes last year.
That change has benefitted TikTok in several ways. The ByteDance-owned app has reportedly surpassed YouTube in terms of watch time, and it is developing products that encourage its users to increase the length of their uploads. Its Creativity Program — a reworked version of its Creator Fund — offers bonus earnings to creators of long-form videos.
Based on Instagram’s penchant for copying its rivals, its expanded Reels runtimes are likely to proceed past the testing phase. It would not be the first time the Meta-owned app has experimented with long-form content. It sought premium programming when it launched its IGTV platform in 2018, but that hub went away three years later.
Other platforms are developing their own responses to TikTok’s signature vertical format. In a recent post on X, Elon Musk said that a “swipe up for next video” interface is in the works and will be rolled out “when it is excellent.”
