Instagram’s 90-minute videos: a long shot at monetization
The platform's new feature aims to keep creators on its app, but the plan remains unclear.
The story
Instagram is testing 90-minute video uploads, aiming to compete with YouTube by offering longer content and potential monetization, though the plan remains unclear.
Source: techcrunch.com
Our reading
Instagram is testing 90-minute videos, which is a lot of time to watch without knowing if you’ll get paid. The platform has spent years pushing short-form content, only to now pivot back to long-form, which it previously abandoned as a failure. It’s like a gym that first tells you to do 10 push-ups, then 100, then 10 again, all while charging you for the same membership.
The plan is to keep creators on Instagram instead of sending them to YouTube, but the only thing clear is that Instagram is still figuring out how to make money. It’s like trying to build a house with a blueprint that says ‘just add walls’ and ‘maybe paint later.’
Meta says it’s exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans and Instagram, but the only thing that’s certain is that no one has a clue what that actually means. The real question isn’t whether it can compete with YouTube—it’s whether it can figure out how to pay its own creators without burning through capital.
