Instagram plans to launch a home for new long-form video length that will take on YouTube and Snapchat Discover. Instagram will have a space where users can upload videos that are up to one hour longer, featuring scripted shows, music videos, and more in-depth videos.
Instagram has been planning this move for some time and met with popular social media stars to learn how they could incorporate their video channels into the app. Snapchat is preparing with its launch partners to launch this new platform on June 20th.
Users should not expect Snapchat to become the next Netflix or HBO. Instead, it will be hosting the types of videos found on YouTube, shorter in length and between five to fifteen minutes. The expected videos will be nice video and production quality but not on the scale of a Hollywood movie production.
Instagram has not yet finalized how ads like pre-rolls and mid-breaks will be incorporated into the platform. It will not be paying creators for shows upfront like Facebook Watch. Instead, the videos will have a swipe-up option to open a link, helping to drive traffic to the creator’s site. But since Instagram has more than 800 million users, this could be a strong marketing tool and revenue maker for many in the future.
Instagram will only allow users to post pre-made video upload. At this time, it is unknown where the new video feature will be located or what it will be changed. The announcement date or feature details are still subject to change.