Instagram Live Streams Extended to 4 Hours & Archiving Coming Soon

Instagram is responding to how content creators are utilizing the platform given the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. As in-person gatherings – including concerts, workshops, meetings, and similar events – have become restricted for individuals and organizations, many have shifted to Instagram Live for broadcasting. The company announced today a substantial increase in the maximum duration for these broadcasts, extending the limit from one hour to four hours for all users globally.

This adjustment, according to the company, is intended to support those who have transitioned to virtual events, such as fitness trainers, educators, musicians, artists, and advocates. During peak lockdown periods in the United States, Instagram Live became a central hub for online interaction, featuring live DJ sets, musical performances, celebrity interviews, virtual fitness classes, and much more. Usage of the Live feature increased by 70% in the U.S. compared to pre-pandemic levels as people sought online connections.

Numerous Instagram Live broadcasters expressed a desire to conduct longer sessions without interruption beyond the existing 60-minute constraint.

This change aligns Instagram’s live stream duration with that offered by Facebook for broadcasts originating from mobile devices, which is also four hours. (When live streaming from a desktop computer or through an API, Facebook’s time limit extends to eight hours.)

While this extended time limit is being made available to all creators worldwide starting today, Instagram stipulates that the creator’s account must be in “good standing” to utilize it. This means the account should not have a record of intellectual property or policy infringements.

In conjunction with this update, Instagram will also refine the “Live Now” section within IGTV and at the conclusion of live streams to better guide users toward additional live content.

Instagram also announced a forthcoming feature that is not yet available.

The platform will “soon” introduce a function enabling creators to archive their live streams for a period of up to 30 days.

Previously, users could archive their regular posts or Stories to a private archive, but the only way to preserve a live stream was to publish it to IGTV immediately after the broadcast, a feature launched in May. 

The company states that the new archiving option for live broadcasts will function similarly to the existing archive feature for Stories and Feed Posts.

However, archived live videos will be automatically and permanently deleted after 30 days.

During this 30-day window, the creator will have the ability to revisit the video to save it or download it. This allows the creator to share the video on other social media platforms, such as Facebook or YouTube, or to edit and repurpose segments for short-form video platforms like TikTok. The Archive feature also provides a safeguard against stream crashes or forgotten downloads, allowing creators to retrieve their content later.

This announcement follows another recent Instagram update that introduced a new method for creators to generate revenue from their Live streams.

Earlier this month, the company began distributing badges within Instagram Live to an initial group of over 50,000 creators for testing purposes. These badges are sold at price points of $0.99, $1.99, or $4.99 and serve to highlight fans’ comments in busy streams, provide financial support to creators, and display the fan’s name on the creator’s list of badge purchasers.