According to a report by TechCrunch, the upgraded player on the social media platform aims to streamline the experience for both watching and sharing video content.
The video player will be initially available in the US and Canada, and there is no information on when the player will be available in other countries.
It’s important to note that the video player will show content in vertical mode by default. However, the player will allow users to access a horizontal full-screen option to watch videos in landscape mode.
Facebook will also recommend to users the most relevant videos to watch next, irrespective of their length.
As more people start to watch videos on Facebook, it could increase the time spent on the platform. Moreover, the video player will also have the potential to increase advertising views and clicks, among other things.
How this video player can be a ‘problem’ for other platforms
The video player is also expected to give Facebook a better way to compete against other popular video platforms like YouTube and TikTok that also rely on algorithmic recommendations.
It’s important to note that TikTok has also tested horizontal videos and long-form content of 30 minutes as it aims to compete with YouTube and other sites.
Here’s how the video player may work
This change has the potential to affect key factors that are important for creators and advertisers like watch time, number of views, reach and more.
As per the report, these improved recommendations will also appear outside the player on sections like the Facebook Feed and Video tab. Apart from this, Facebook will also reportedly show users more Reels as the demand for short-form videos is expected to increase in the coming days.
Facebook says its upgraded player will also offer new controls, such as a slider to skip parts of longer videos as well as other options like pause and jump back or forward 10 seconds.