It should be obvious to any Facebook user by now that video has become a growing feature of the experience on the site.
Facebook wants to do even more with video — welcoming more of them, offering publishers more video opportunities, creating places for saved videos, creating sharing options, and much, much more.
In a recent Facebook blog post, Will Cathcart, the VP of Product Management, noted that “since our update last year, video has continued to grow on Facebook. It has become an integral part of how people around the world discover, watch, and share videos they care about every day.”
So, what’s next?
Immersive video formats, of course, which have been a big hit. According to Cathcart, the site has seen “thousands of authentic and candid live videos, from Vin Diesel to Serena Williams and many more. We rolled out 360 video on Facebook in September, enabling people to view a video from all angles right in News Feed. Star Wars and Discovery were among the first publishers to share these stunning videos on Facebook.”
Up next are new tests of options like “Suggested Videos,” a feature which would allow users to tap into videos related to ones they’ve watched and liked.
“We’ve now rolled out suggested videos to most people on iPhone globally, and are starting to test ads within the experience,” said Cathcart. “We are also starting to test this on the web, and plan to test on Android phones in the coming months.”
And here’s something multi-taskers might like: Facebook’s intention to develop a way for users to watch a video in a floating screen while doing other things on Facebook. Then again, there will be an option to place videos for future consideration in a special “Saved Videos” section.
And here’s the real sign that Facebook thinks video is going to get bigger: it will soon test “a dedicated place on Facebook for people to go when they exclusively want to watch video — whether that’s videos they’ve saved for later, or videos from friends, Pages they follow, and other video publishers on Facebook.”
