Shelley Seale, Author at State of Digital Publishing

What’s Happening: Facebook Watch was launched globally less than a year ago, and in that time has built an audience of more than 720 million people monthly and 140 million people daily who spend at least one minute in Watch. The Facebook newsroom caught us up with some of the accomplishments and growth of the platform. Why it Matters: Facebook Watch was built on the notion that watching videos can help people connect more deeply with others, instead of the platform being a passive or solitary social media experience. Watch provides virtually unlimited ways — comments, shares, reactions, polls, Groups, messages, Watch Parties, and more — to connect with people through video. Digging Deeper: Daily visitors spend more than 26 minutes, on average, in Watch every day. The platform entices because, rather than just being a place where people can find and watch videos, it also provides a way to explore and engage with other people who are interested in the same videos. These connections let people experience video content in a new way, and Facebook is focused on increasing those social aspects of Watch. Some of the newer features of Watch, meant to accomplish this, include: An easier way to find groups, based on the videos that a user is watching. For example, if someone is watching an episode of Red Table Talk in Watch, they’ll see the official group alongside the video and can join to talk with other fans, or even the hosts themselves. Testing new sections such as ways to find videos that are popular with friends, and a section dedicated to co-watching experiences like Watch Party, Premieres, and Live videos — to make it easier to connect with others around videos. A sustainable, ad-supported ecosystem where every publisher and creator can reach their audience, make money from their videos, and thrive on the platform. Ad breaks are available in more than 40 countries, and Facebook Watch is expanding this to more countries and languages around the world. Global partnerships with publishers in entertainment and sports, to deliver a wide range of content that people want to talk about and form friendships around. They also launched a program that connects creators with digital publishers. Facebook Watch Originals, original programming that delivers immersive, social experiences with new seasons of fan-favorites and series debuts. The Bottom Line: People like watching videos together with friends, a feeling that Facebook Watch is capitalizing on. People are eight times more likely to comment on videos in Watch Party than when watching on their own, Facebook found. The goal of Watch is to offer a completely personalized experience for everyone, supported by a deep library of videos from a wide array of video creators and publishers.

Shelley Seale

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Shelley Seale