Instagram downgrades creators’ video quality if it thinks they’re not driving enough views

Instagram is downgrading video quality for creators who aren’t generating enough views, as confirmed by Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri on Threads. This move, aimed at reducing storage costs, applies a "sliding scale" to prioritize high-quality encoding for videos from creators who attract more views. If videos or creators’ view counts fall below Instagram’s thresholds, the platform renders content in lower quality. Older videos with reduced view counts are also downgraded, though popular videos can be restored to high quality if they regain traction.

Mosseri stated that this approach allows Instagram to balance content quality and server costs, especially as Meta invests more heavily in data processing for projects like generative AI. Despite the rationale, creators and consultants are concerned, arguing that this policy limits new creators’ potential to grow by lowering the quality of their videos when they don't immediately achieve high view counts. Some see this as conflicting with Instagram’s earlier promises to empower creators. Instagram recently updated its metrics to use view counts as the primary measurement across post types, making these new quality adjustments especially impactful.

It’s unclear if Mosseri or Instagram will respond further to these criticisms or if the policy will change.