Facebook plans to take on YouTube

The aim of the service is to make it easier for users to “discover, watch and share” clips that interest them. The videos tie in with Facebook’s efforts to make the site more visual due to user demand.

Research has found that roughly 20% of the time people spend online is on Facebook. With so much information online, Facebook is undoubtedly an invaluable source of data and customer information for marketers.

Ian Maude, from Enders Analysis, said: “If it can marry high-quality content and more personalised targeting through the information it has on all of us, then that’s the Holy Grail for marketers.”

While the new video feature is being tested, it will only be available to a small number of people. It will soon be expanded to the point where it is used globally by all users of the social media.

Clips are suggested to users based on their likes and interests; these are determined by their online activities on the network. It also relies on friendships; you are likely to be recommended a video if someone you are often active with has watched it.

If a user is watching a clip using the app, they can swipe upwards on the screen to watch another video.

Facebook had already solved a potentially significant problem for users before it became a problem. If you are unable to watch a video when you first see it because you’re in a place where you can’t turn the sound on, that you can save it for later.

The system will let you easily bookmark videos you’re interested in so you can watch them at a time that suits you best.

It is partly due to Facebook’s effort that the amount of videos that have been watched in the past 12 months has increased by almost 60% with roughly 4 million clip views each day, posing a serious threat for beloved Youtube.