New Delhi: Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the company is making Reels available to everyone on Facebook globally. Zuckerberg, who made the announcement through a Facebook post, also wrote that the company wants Reels to be the best place for creators to connect with their community, and make a living. So, the company is launching monetisation tools too, Zuckerberg said.


Reels are short form, entertaining video experiences and tools that can consist of music, audio effects and more. Meta is now expanding Reels on Facebook to more than 150 countries, according to media reports.


Creative Tools To Be Added To Facebook Reels


The CEO of Meta mentioned further details in the comments. Zuckerberg wrote that the company is adding creative tools to Facebook Reels like Remix, and the ability to create a Reel from an existing story. 


Facebook is also building Video Clipping tools so that creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos can test different formats.


Zuckerberg further wrote that to give creators more visibility and reach, they can share their Instagram Reels as recommended content on Facebook. 


He said that Facebook is also rolling out Reels in Facebook Watch and letting people share public Reels to Stories. 


Monetisation Tools To Be Launched


Facebook is expanding tests of new monetisation tools for Facebook Reels, starting with Overlay Ads like banner and sticker ads, so that more creators can earn ad revenue. Zuckerberg further stated that Facebook is rolling out full-screen and immersive ads between Reels soon.


First, the monetisation tools will roll out in the United States (US), Canada, and Mexico, and eventually expand to other countries, media reports said. 


In September last year, the social media giant launched Reels on Facebook for iOS and Android in the US. When viewing Reels on Facebook, one can easily follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it, or share it with friends. 


The new tools being introduced by Facebook will help creators use and make money from Reels. 


Reels is said to be a direct competitor to TikTok. The feature of full-screen and immersive ads between Reels is similar to the manner in which TikTok shows ads as individual clips played in between videos. 


Meta had earlier said that Reels was the biggest contributor to growth on Instagram and "growing very quickly" on Facebook too, according to reports. Since Reels currently monetises at a lower rate than other content formats like Instagram's Feed and Stories, the new feature of overlay ads like banner and sticker ads could help creators earn more ad revenue. The Overlay Ads represent Facebook's first attempt to bring advertising revenues directly to Reels, a report by American online newspaper TechCrunch said.


What Are Banners And Stickers?


Creators who participate in the advertisement tests will be able to try out two different advertisement formats, namely banners and stickers. Since these advertisement formats sit transparently atop the playing content instead of pausing the video to show the ad, they are known as non-interruptive ads.


According to the TechCrunch report, banner ads appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of the reel. 


Meanwhile, stickers are static images that can be placed anywhere within the reel, just like other stickers can be. 


Remix, 60-Second Reels, & Video Clipping Features


Remix, 60-second Reels, Draft and Video Clipping are some of the features which Facebook first announced last year. Remix is directly available on Instagram, and is similar to TikTok's Duets. This is because Remix allows creators to create their own reel alongside another publicly shared reel on Facebook. 


Last year, Instagram Reels added support for 60-second videos, up from 30 seconds. Facebook will also do the same. 


Drafts and Video Clipping are features which will allow creators to work on their content, then save it for later publication, the TechCrunch report said.


In the months ahead, the clipping feature will roll out, and will allow video creators who usually publish live or long-form content to more easily try Reels as well.