Meta wants to explore long-form content again, or at least, the company wants to extend engagement with its existing Reels material. To the end, its new Series option for Reels is designed to help users keep track of linked videos within a creator-defined set.
As reported by TechCrunch, Meta is currently testing the Series option on both Facebook and Instagram. This includes link shortcuts within the playback window and series collections on creator profiles, which help stitch together themed clips into episodic format.
The idea is that this will better enable creators to enhance engagement and build community, via linked and/or related clips. It’s very similar to the Guides option Instagram launched in 2020, which was intended to facilitate expanded topical engagement, curated by creators.
This is also not the first time Meta has tried out this exact format.
In 2019, when Instagram was looking to compete with YouTube, as the leader in video content, Meta launched a Series option for IGTV, which enabled creators to segment their videos into dedicated collections.
So this is more back to the future for Meta, as it seeks to tap into the rising popularity of connected TV viewing and expanded creation, in order to provide more opportunities for community building and engagement.
It’s a step away from the short-form buzz of Reels, which has been Meta’s main driver of audience engagement in recent years.
But last month, IG’s Vice President of Product Tessa Lyons told audiences at the Scaleable Summit that Instagram is now looking beyond short-form content, and moving towards a more YouTube-like approach, in order to help drive creator engagement and opportunity.
Lyons said that Instagram is aiming to become “a unique part of creators’ long-form strategy in addition to their short-form strategy,” which will likely see the platform introduce more support for podcasts, live-streams and expanded narratives told through mini-dramas.
Mini-dramas have become a big hit on TikTok, with Business Insider reporting earlier this year that the mini-drama format is now driving hundreds of millions of views in the app. BI also reported that mini-dramas generated around $1.3 billion in the U.S. in 2025, primarily via direct payments from viewers.
Mini-dramas have been such a success that TikTok has even launched a dedicated mini-dramas app, called PineDrama, in the U.S. and Brazil, per BI.
The idea, for Meta, is that leaning into this extended viewing approach will provide more opportunities for creators to connect with their audiences, while also giving Instagram a pathway into connected TV, where the company can make big dollars from ad placement.
Indeed, Instagram launched an updated CTV app in December, signaling its renewed push into longer-form content.
Bringing back a Series option, then, seems to align with this renewed push. Meta is also hoping this will provide another incentive to keep creators posting to the app, via expanded monetization and engagement opportunities.
