Instagram Is Reportedly Pivoting to Hour-Long Video

[BUtterfield 8 41,816]

Facebook subsidiary Instagram has long been very good at making users feel bad about themselves. Now, per the Wall Street Journal, it’s planning a new effort to annoy the hell out of them with longer, YouTube-style video content as well.

According to the Journal, anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation say that Instagram is planning on ditching its one-minute limit for video content in favor of a dramatically longer hour-long limit. The effort has been accompanied by talks with creators and producers to make “long-form” video specifically for Instagram, the paper wrote: 

The Facebook Inc.-owned photo and video sharing app is preparing to launch a new feature that will include long-form video, according to people familiar with the matter. The feature, which could allow videos of up to an hour in length, will focus on vertical video, or video that is taller than it is wide, one of the people said. Until now, Instagram hasn’t allowed users to post any videos longer than one minute.

The people said the plans are tentative and subject to change.

In recent weeks, Instagram has had conversations with content creators and publishers about producing long-form video for the platform, a person familiar with the matter said. The feature, if it launches, will do so within the Instagram app, another person said.

In other words, Instagram is taking a break from ripping off Snapchat features to make a move on YouTube’s turf. That makes sense for a number of reasons—one of them probably being is that YouTube consistently ranks at the top of online platforms used by teens, who are abandoning Facebook en masse, so it makes sense to migrate towards what’s working. Instagram has added a number of video features in recent years, but long-form content would be a clear shift in strategy.

As the Journal noted, Instagram’s owner Facebook has long been pushing towards expanding its video offerings, eager to cash in on what CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes is a “mega trend.” And it’s a trend all right—albeit one that seems to be more driven by the company’s desire for advertiser dollars rather than consumer wants. Facebook’s fumbling attempts to try and get users to watch more native video and thus more lucrative native video ads have been ongoing for years (and have been killing newsrooms left and right).

For example, Facebook has been pouring money into its Watch section, which had a pretty dire talent lineup at launch. The situation doesn’t appear to have improved much. Digiday reported in March that Watch has muddled under uncertain strategic direction, abandonment by publishers who have realized Facebook has no interest in equitable revenue share, and the slow realization that Facebook hasn’t figured out how to offer a video experience capable of peeling audiences away from the likes of YouTube and Netflix.

So longer video offerings on Instagram might be an attempt to attack the problem from another angle. As Variety noted, Facebook is determined to further monetize the hundreds of millions of active users on Instagram, 300 million of which reportedly watch its Instagram Stories short-form video offerings daily. But if it turns out there’s simply no appetite among Instagram users to see long-form video there, this could be another example of Facebook trying to bleed a stone.

https://gizmodo.com/instagram-is-reportedly-pivoting-to-hour-long-video-1826589286?utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[SolidSnake 2,804]

If Facebook wants to compete with youtube they need their own dedicated video watching service. Piggybacking on instagram isnt going to work. 

[Ziggy 14,010]

If anything, I think this would drive people away from Instagram. They’re applying too much of the Facebook model to it if this is true. That is, that users want more and more from a service when Instagram is a clear example to the contrary. They like specific services executed well. The Snapchat rip-off makes sense but expanding to hour-long content undermines the basic fundamentals of what made Insta successful in the first place

[Reginald 13,841]

Facebook is relentless.. 

I don't like it. Although I don't see any trouble in store for YouTube (besides how they treat their Creators) it's so frustrating watching Facebook knock down company after company who had great ideas before them. 

[adamsenigma 9,520]

Imagine Gaga uploading her MV on Instagram. 

[Florian 20,017]

13 minutes ago, SolidSnake said:

If Facebook wants to compete with youtube they need their own dedicated video watching service. Piggybacking on instagram isnt going to work. 

They can't just create a new platform because nobody would migrate there  

Do you remember Google+ ? I'd argue that it was a better social network than Facebook when it came to content. But nobody was willing to move there even with an account automatically attached to your Google account.

Facebook is trying to change IG because they already have a huge audience there.

[Florian 20,017]

Just now, adammonroe said:

Imagine Gaga uploading her MV on Instagram. 

Vertical MV ?

[SolidSnake 2,804]

10 minutes ago, Florian said:

They can't just create a new platform because nobody would migrate there  

Do you remember Google+ ? I'd argue that it was a better social network than Facebook when it came to content. But nobody was willing to move there even with an account automatically attached to your Google account.

Facebook is trying to change IG because they already have a huge audience there.

If I had the monetary resources of Facebook, I could create a new platform that would compete with Youtube tomorrow. All you need to do is go after independent creators. 

Promise a more open and transparent system in regards to how your content is monetized
Allow edgier humor to be monetized
Keep in touch with what your community wants the platform to be and balance it out with advertisers. 
Sponsor large gaming competitions.

There a 4 step plan that would guarantee success  

[LetsGetHigh 52,683]

Hasn't Snapchat quietly implemented this with videos like "Worth It?"? Wow,  good job Instagram. Still copying.

[RAMROD 117,007]

Hmmm, so people can brag their posh foods, hauls, and holidays longer now

 

[weed 78,889]

At first I was like wtf then I read only vertical and I was like okkkkk wtf again but I’m here for it, come thru artistic potential of vertical videos!  I don’t even like vertical videos but if people are forced to use that format they’ll for sure come up w interesting things hopefully

But then I kept reading about the Facebook and money and I was like yikes I wish Facebook didn’t own Instagram lmao I just hope the ads aren’t crazy

[Helxig 45,331]

I love when a giant super-brand buys out a smaller, but very well functioning service, then gets their talons right in and destroys them

[EART HL I NG 1,264]

If Facebook thinks I’m about to watch hour long videos of these heaux acting like they hike mountains everyday in their North Face and Starbucks they are out of there data- mining minds my gay ass doesn’t have time for this mess 

[Green Detox 2,779]

1 hour video of these models pouting their lips on their front cams