Facebook is going to begin testing whether users of its platform want to swap their newsfeeds for video feeds.
The tech giant announced a slew of product updates Friday morning, and one of them is launching a full-screen “immersive video” player the moment a user opens the app.
“People are showing us that they want more immersive, visual, video-forward experiences, and video is where conversations are happening, communities are forming, and even commerce is starting to take place,” wrote head of Facebook Tom Alison in a blog post.
Alison adds that the company will begin testing the new video-first version of Facebook in select international markets this year, and will “explore bringing it to the U.S.” next year. Users will have the option to opt out and return to the feed-first Facebook, with the classic feed remaining available as a tab in the app.
Still, testing making Facebook a video-first app underscores the changing dynamics of digital media. Facebook parent company Mets says that Reels, its short-form video product across Facebook and Instagram, is now a $50 billion run-rate business, with more ad revenue than YouTube.
Instagram is also testing out episodic video in their new TV app, another piece of how Meta is seeking to steal more video ad dollars from traditional media companis.
Facebook also announced a number of other features, including a free Verified program that will let users verify their identity in exchange for a badge (particularly important for, say, Facebook Dating or Marketplace). And it will launch new apps, including Seller, for heavy sellers on Facebook Marketplace, and Forum, a new ap to lt people dive deeper into Facebook Groups.
“Twenty years in, we’re always improving what Facebook looks and feels like — as people’s needs evolve, Facebook does too,” Alison writes. “The pattern that informs our products is always the same: people show us what they want through how they use the app. We listen, we learn, we experiment, and we evolve.”
