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Instagram has made its business with short videos but now wants to build longer videos to compete with YouTube and TikTok
Instagram to change its formula to compete with YouTube?
Instagram is eyeing TikTok and for that the platform is looking to reinvent the way it reaches to the users. Short videos have been the main fodder for the likes of TikTok, Reels and Shorts over the last few years but Instagram wants to see the bigger picture, and for that it is willing to make some big changes. Adam Mosseri, head at Instagram has suggested some of those plans that the platform will be adopting in the next few years.
Speaking in an interview recently, Mosseri said long-form videos and premium content could be part of its strategy. But doesn’t that make it a YouTube challenger?
Instagram vs YouTube: The New Long-Form Video Battle?
Mosseri, quoted in a report by Semafor, talked about the clash with YouTube if it goes ahead with the plans to build a long-form video model. This is an intriguing pivot that he has talked about, but delivering long-form video is a different ball game that YouTube has mastered for decades. He also pointed out that premium content could become part of the future plans, which definitely helps with better commercial value for the platform.
This probably explains why Instagram Reels are making their way to the big screen, and could be a start for its own long video ambitions. Instagram might have to attract the creators with better pay than YouTube initially, which is usually how these platforms operate in the beginning.
The Future Of Videos
Mosseri was even quizzed about the future of watching videos and where people will do that. And it was hardly surprising to see him talk about smart glasses, a segment where the parent company of Instagram is heavily investing in the next few years. “For a visual platform, [being] in a medium where you probably want most of your interactions with your smart glasses to be audio-only is a much bigger, more open question that we need to think about,” he was quoted saying.
Meta is most likely going to have Instagram on its mind while making these devices, and so should other platforms that will be engaging in the glasses segment. Instagram has many users and its daily viewership is quite high, but these changes will be drastic and we are eager to see how that shapes its future.
California, USA
December 22, 2025, 15:53 IST
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