Facebook will begin testing whether users of its platform want to switch their newsfeeds with video feeds.
The tech giant announced a slew of product updates on Friday morning, including the launch of a full-screen “immersive video” player the moment a user opens the app.
“People are showing us that they want more immersive, visual and video experiences, and video is where conversations happen, communities are formed, and even commerce starts to happen,” Facebook President Tom Allison wrote in a blog post.
Allison adds that the company will begin testing the new version of Facebook First Video in select international markets this year, and will “explore the possibility of bringing it to the United States” next year. Users will have the option to opt out and return to the Facebook feed first, with the classic feed remaining available as a tab in the app.
However, the test of making Facebook a video-first app highlights the changing dynamics of digital media. The Mets, Facebook’s parent company, say Reels, its short-form video product across Facebook and Instagram, is now a $50 billion run-rate business, with greater advertising revenue than YouTube.
Instagram is also testing episodic videos in its new TV app, another part of how Meta is looking to steal more video ad dollars from traditional media companies.
Facebook also announced a number of other features, including a free verification program that will allow users to verify their identity in exchange for a badge (particularly important for, say, Facebook Dating or Marketplace). It will launch new apps, including Seller, for large sellers on Facebook Marketplace, and Forum, a new app that allows people to delve deeper into Facebook groups.
“Twenty years later, we’re always improving the look and feel of Facebook — and as people’s needs evolve, so does Facebook,” Alison wrote. “The pattern that informs our products is always the same: people show us what they want through how they use the app. We listen, learn, experiment, and evolve.”
