Facebook tests TikTok-style short video formats in India

Facebook tests TikTok-style short video formats in India

The short video format seems to be the flavor of the season. Now Facebook is flirting with a new TikTok clone in its biggest app that will soon compete against a dozen other clones of the Chinese app banned by India two months ago. And the new test, which is already underway in India, has nothing to do with its experience with Lasso or a similar feature that Facebook launched on Instagram called Reels. TechCrunch says, citing company sources, that the short video is being tested for India, which happens to be its biggest market from users. The short videos app sits in the news feed with a 'Create' button at the top that launches the Facebook camera when you tap on it. Users can then browse the videos by simply swiping up.

INTERESTING! Facebook is also testing a TikTok-like swipe 'short video' feed in its main app This appears to be in addition to Instagram Reelsh/t @roneetm pic.twitter.com/0XHiSowCwWA August 13, 2020 The first report on the new short video app came from Matt Navarra, a social media consultant who revealed it via his Twitter account. Of course, there's little to no information at this point as to whether the tests would result in a release or whether Facebook would think it's best to keep Reels or try to connect them the way it does. with Stories. TechCrunch also quoted a company spokesperson as suggesting that Facebook was continually testing new tools to learn more about how people seek to express themselves and that the idea of ​​short videos was obviously emerging. of the success of TikTok, although they did not say it in many words.

Why the Facebook move makes sense

With ByteDance-owned TikTok facing challenges to its existence following the India ban and a similar outcome looking more than likely in the US, it's fit for the bigger platform. social form to the world to provide an alternative to TikTok users. Since Facebook is very popular in India, integration with short-form videos could be an excellent solution that would give the company a substantial user base that surpasses any competitor. Facebook launched Reels in India last month, well before reaching other markets, and as a result, the social media platform had seen almost 25% growth in daily engagement level since the Tik Tok ban. We previously reported that Facebook was looking to poach big stars from the TikTok stable through lucrative contracts, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Instagram has made lucrative offers to some of the most popular TikTok creators to use the new service, Reels. The potential payouts for some would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. For its part, TikTok also kept itself in the headlines with reports of various suitors coming forward to take over its assets in the US and India. Among the first was Microsoft and immediately on the signal, Twitter followed. Adding to the shock value, however, was a report suggesting that Reliance Jio Platforms was a potential competitor to the Chinese app. It now remains to be seen how long it takes for Facebook to test the app and whether that would lead to Reels' demise, as it did with Lasso which the company decided to bury early last month.