Instagram is making a strategic shift toward long-form video content as it looks to expand its presence on connected television (CTV). Tessa Lyons, Instagram’s Vice President of Product, revealed at last week’s Scalable Summit that the platform is moving beyond its short-form, TikTok-inspired model toward a more YouTube-like approach.
“I don’t think short-form vertical content is going to be enough to succeed on TV,” Lyons said, adding that Instagram aims to become “a unique part of creators’ long-form strategy” within the next two years.
A Broader Creator Opportunity
The company is exploring support for podcasts, live streams, and mini-dramas — a format that has gained notable traction on TikTok. This shift aligns with Instagram’s updated CTV app, launched in December 2025, whose interface closely mirrors YouTube’s television experience.
The timing makes commercial sense. YouTube currently leads all streaming platforms in U.S. viewership, surpassing Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. Its dominance has translated into significant advertising revenue through CTV, which offers TV-like reach at digital platform costs. Instagram clearly wants a comparable slice of that market.
Learning From Past Missteps
This isn’t Instagram’s first attempt at long-form video. The platform launched IGTV in 2018, positioning it as a YouTube rival, but the standalone app failed to gain traction and was shut down in 2022. This time, Instagram appears to be integrating long-form content directly within its core experience rather than through a separate application.
With AI-powered storytelling also on the horizon, Instagram’s renewed long-form push could unlock significant new opportunities for both creators and advertisers.