Video Just Got Better
Since we launched video last year, more than 45 million videos have been uploaded to Facebook with approximately 100,000 new videos added each day. Starting today, you'll be able to upload higher quality videos to Facebook and also embed your Facebook videos on other websites.
Context & Ripple Effects
Facebook's video feature, launched in 2007, has reached more than 45 million uploads, with about 100,000 added each day. That volume makes improvements to upload quality and distribution meaningful beyond a small feature update.
The addition of off-site embedding turns Facebook video from content viewed only within the service into media that can be placed on other websites, while higher-quality uploads raise the value of videos kept on the platform.
First-order effects
- Facebook users can upload higher-quality clips and place their Facebook-hosted videos on external websites.
- Website operators can embed Facebook videos rather than requiring visitors to view the clips solely inside Facebook.
Second-order effects
- Embeddable playback gives Facebook a distribution path beyond its own pages, tying external video placements back to Facebook-hosted media.
- Higher-quality uploads increase the incentive for creators to keep source videos on Facebook when they expect those clips to be shared elsewhere.
Third-order effects
- If upload quality and embedding continue to develop together, social networks can compete for video distribution through hosted players and embedded content, not only through on-site viewing.
The trend: Social platforms are extending user-generated video from an in-network feature into portable, externally distributed media.