Facebook is introducing a new feature called Watch Party, which allows groups to view videos together, and at the same time, even when they are apart.
Facebook Vice President Fidji Simo revealed the new viewing experience in a blog post. Through Watch Party, members of a group can view the same video in the "same space at the same time."
The videos are chosen by the group's administrators or moderators, who can choose among all public videos, live or public, within Facebook. When a party is taking place, group members will see a Watch Party icon on the group's page. Clicking it will allow the member to watch the video currently being played.
According to Simo, Watch Party was inspired by the Facebook community's warm response to live videos, which generally receives six times more interactions as compared to regular videos.
Facebook hopes to get the same level of engagement for videos in the Watch Party, with members commenting and reacting to the "same moments together." This should make video viewing a more fun and exciting experience, instead of just a passive one.
Simo explained the launch of the viewing experience on groups is just the tip of the new project. She added the group is the perfect launch platform because of its billion users, which are connected by similar passions and hobbies.
"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," she added.
Simo's announcement comes just a week after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the company's goal for 2018, which is to make sure all the time users spend on Facebook is "time well spent."
Zuckerberg reiterated the company's main mission, which is to help people stay connected, with families and friends at its core.
