Facebook has announced launching its short video feature Reels globally, available in more than 150 countries, after publicly launching the feature in the U.S. in September last year.
Reels is a feature Meta added to the Instagram app as a way to directly combat its rival, the popular Chinese app TikTok. It allows creators to share short-form video content. In addition to the global rollout, Facebook is also introducing more creative tools and new monetization methods for creators.
Facebook's move comes after it announced a slightly lower number of daily active users in Q4 2021 – 1.92 billion compared to 1.93 billion in the previous quarter.
During Meta's Q4 2021 earnings, the company said that Reels is now its “fastest-growing content format by far.” It also said that the feature was the biggest contributor to growth on Instagram and “growing very quickly” on Facebook, too.
It's worth noting that Reels was launched on Instagram in 2020, and was made available in the US and other countries in 2021. Today, the feature will now expand to a total of 150 countries and be more prominently featured on the Facebook and Instagram apps. In addition, Meta will add more editing and sharing features for the users, including allowing them to “remix” others’ videos to add their own commentary.
Reels currently monetizes at a lower rate than other content formats, like Instagram’s Feed and Stories. However, Meta said that this will change over time.
The tech giant is currently expanding tests of Facebook Reels Overlay Ads to all Reels creators in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. And according to Tech Church, the test will expand to nearly all the 50+ countries where in-stream ads are already available by mid-March.
