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Meta announced a series of changes to Facebook video features this week, in a move likely designed to help the platform better compete with TikTok and YouTube.
The Facebook Watch tab has been renamed “Video” and houses all of the platform’s video content, including Reels, live content, and long-form videos. Meta is also bringing more Reels editing capabilities to Facebook’s feed, meaning users will be able to speed up, reverse, or replace clips; add audio and record voiceovers; and upload HDR videos.
Additionally, users can now comment on Instagram Reels from Facebook. The Video tab will also include a revamped Explore page that recommends videos “related to relevant hashtags and topics.”
“Video is core to Facebook,” according to a Meta blog post.
This is not the first time Facebook has sought to strengthen its video presence. It debuted Facebook Watch in 2018, and integrated Instagram Reels with Facebook in 2021. In subsequent years, however, Facebook has shuttered some of its video offerings, like Watch Party, which let users watch content together. A few months ago, Meta bid farewell to Watch’s original programming, which included shows like Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk.
Besides its experimentation with video, Meta has also rolled out (and cut the cord on) a host of other services. Last year, it ended Neighborhoods, the Nextdoor-lookalike feature it introduced in 2021, as well as Tuned, an app for couples. Campus, Facebook’s social network for college students, and Sparked, its video speed-dating program, also bit the dust last year.
Video, however, is one space the company continues to invest in as it sees growth from Reels, which are “increasing overall app engagement,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the company’s Q1 earnings call. As for further video improvements on Facebook, Meta hinted at more updates in the works.
“This is just the beginning,” the company’s blog post said.