Facebook is gearing up for a major update to its video player, set to launch on Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada. This new, full-screen player promises to offer a more consistent design and experience for all types of videos on the platform, including Reels, long-form videos, and Live content. By streamlining the viewing and sharing process, Facebook hopes to increase engagement and attract more advertisers to its platform.
“But more importantly, it will default to showing videos in vertical mode and will also allow Facebook to recommend the most relevant video to watch next, no matter what type of video that may be: long, short or live.”
This change has the potential to impact important metrics for creators and advertisers, such as watch time, views, and reach. For Facebook, it could mean more time spent on the platform, increased ad views and clicks, and better competition with other popular video platforms that also use algorithmic recommendations, like YouTube and TikTok. By broadening the pool of video formats available, Facebook hopes to offer a more diverse range of recommendations to its users on both the player and in other areas of the platform, like the Facebook Feed and Video tab.
To cater to the demand for short-form content, Facebook says it will begin showing users more Reels in their feeds. And with the upgraded player, users will have access to new controls like full-screen mode for horizontal videos and a slider to skip ahead in longer videos. Additionally, tapping on the video will bring up more options, such as pause and jump back or forward 10 seconds.
One notable change is the default setting for vertical videos, similar to TikTok, with an option to switch to horizontal view. This puts Facebook in competition with TikTok, which has also experimented with horizontal videos and longer-form content up to 30 minutes, as it aims to compete with platforms like YouTube.
The updated video player will first launch on iOS and Android devices in the U.S. and Canada, with plans for a global rollout in the coming months. This improved viewing experience could help Facebook appeal to a younger audience, a market it has struggled to capture in recent years. However, with the rise in popularity of Facebook Marketplace among Gen Z, the platform may have an opportunity to re-engage this demographic through their preferred social format – video.
Aside from the Marketplace trend, there are other hints that young people are starting to rediscover Facebook. According to NBC News, there has been a resurgence in the use of the “Facebook poke” – a long-forgotten feature that was once a simple way of saying hello. Facebook reported a 13x increase in pokes in March alone, indicating a possible shift in interest from Gen Z users.
The timing of this video player update also coincides with the potential ban of TikTok by U.S. lawmakers, which could drive more video consumption on other social platforms like Facebook. With these changes, Facebook is repositioning itself as a go-to destination for video content and aims to solidify its place in the competitive social media landscape.
