Home Technology Instagram considering hour-long videos to compete with YouTube and Snapchat

Instagram considering hour-long videos to compete with YouTube and Snapchat

Instagram might be considering doing away with the minute-long limitation applicable to videos shared on the app. Rather, the new norm might allow videos up to even an hour to be shared on the site.

The above move, if it becomes a reality that is, will be clearly aimed at sites like Snapchat or YouTube.

While YouTube is easily the largest video sharing site on the planet, Snapchat has off late begun hosting videos on its site. That does make the rumors of Instagram too following suit quite viable even though neither the social site or its parent company Facebook has formally announced anything of this sort.

Facebook too has been aggressively pushing for allowing videos to have a greater share on its site. That has further fuelled rumors of the same strategy being adopted on Instagram as well. In fact, Instagram is also reported to have held discussions with publishers to encourage them for developing more videos.

What has also emerged is that the new video feature will be based around the tall format. That again is in line with the Instagram format with the entire app built around the same tallish stance. What is not known though is that whether the new longer form of videos will be part of Instagram Videos or will be showcased in the news feed as well.

Instagram now allows videos of about a minute long to be featured on the site while Instagram Stories are no more than just 15 seconds in duration. The professionally developed longer videos will no doubt make Instagram a genuine source of well-crafted videos. That compares well with the ones it currently features and which are mostly shot in a hurry or with zero or fewer preparations.

Interestingly, the plan to integrate videos on Instagram can also be seen as yet another attempt on the part of Instagram to copy Snapchat. The Facebook-owned company had in the past copied several of Snapchat’s signature features including Stories to boost growth.

Snapchat already allows the posting of videos on its site that have been developed by publishers and developers and are far better in quality than those created by its users.