Facebook recently introduced a new, full-screen video player, which offers a more consistent design and experience for all types of video lengths, including short-form Reels, long-form videos and even Live content. The upgraded player aims to streamline the experience for both watching and sharing video content. But more importantly, it will default to showing videos in vertical mode and will also allow Facebook to recommend the most relevant video to watch next, no matter what type of video that may be: long, short or live.

The latter change could potentially affect key factors that creators and advertisers care about, like watch time, number of views, reach and more. For Facebook, meanwhile, more people watching videos on the platform could allow it to increase time onsite, plus advertising views and clicks, among other things. It also gives Facebook a way to better compete against other popular video platforms that rely on algorithmic recommendations, like YouTube and TikTok, as it broadens the pool of possible recommendations to include more video formats.

These improved recommendations will also appear outside the player, on the Facebook Feed and Video tab. In addition, Facebook said it will show users more Reels going forward, given the demand for short-form video.

Notably, the player will default to showing videos in vertical mode, like TikTok, though users will be able to access a full-screen option for horizontal videos that allows them to flip to watch in landscape mode. 

Facebook says the decision to prioritize the smartphone-driven vertical video format came about because it’s seen a shift in video consumption, where much of the viewing now takes place on mobile.

An improved video-playing experience could potentially help Facebook capture the attention of a younger audience, too. Although Facebook has declined in popularity with Gen Z over the past decade, The New York Times recently reported that many young people are now turning to the site for its Marketplace. That offers Facebook the opportunity to try to capture their attention in other ways, while on the site, including through Gen Z’s preferred social format, video.

With video consumption shifting to mobile devices and the possibility of a TikTok ban, Facebook is making changes to better connect with younger audiences. It’s evident that Meta is making an effort to compete with other social media platforms like Youtube and TikTok. 

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