Facebook will today start testing and experimenting with a new feature, which will enable groups to watch the same video 'together' on the platform.
Watch Parties will roll out to a select number of groups first. Group admins and moderators choose any videos (live or recorded) on Facebook and broadcast them to the group members. The reactions and comments from all members will then be displayed to all members watching in real-time.
The social network hopes to create the same effect and reception of Facebook Live videos, introduced in 2016, which let users live-stream video directly from their phone or connected camera to their page.
Fidji Simo, Facebook's VP of product for video, says live videos generate an average of six times as many interactions as regular videos.
Speaking about Watch Parties, Simo said in a blog post: "With everyone watching, commenting and reacting to the same moments together, it creates a shared viewing experience for video that helps build the kind of community and engagement we've seen with Live.
"The Watch Party viewing experience is special because of the people you are watching with. We're starting with Groups because one billion people use Facebook Groups every month to connect around their passions and hobbies - from foodies, to dog lovers, to sports enthusiasts, to fans of video creators ? and video is a huge part of this interaction."
This new feature follows CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement last week, when he said Facebook would be adjusting its News Feed to prioritise what friends and family share, while reducing the amount of non-advertising content from publishers and brands.
He said he wanted Facebook to focus on non-advertising content and go back to its original purpose of making it easier for people to interact with each other in meaningful ways.
"As we think about video on Facebook, we're focused on creating experiences that bring people closer together and inspire human connection instead of passive consumption," says Simo.
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