Facebook is testing a feature called “Watch Videos Together” on Messenger that would enable simultaneous co-viewing of videos over a group chat on different devices. According to a report by NDTV Gadgets, a Facebook spokesperson has confirmed this, calling it an “internal test”.
The report further goes on to add that Messenger allows not only to watch videos together but also to “chat about the same videos at the same time” with chat thread members receiving a notification. TechCrunch reported that Facebook Messenger code was discovered that said, “Everyone in this chat can control the video and see who’s watching.”
Along with allowing Messenger users to create shared experiences from afar, the “Watch Videos Together” feature would introduce new revenue opportunities for the company, the report added.
The new feature, which is still under development, was first spotted by Ananay Arora, the founder of deadline management app “Timebound” and an engineer named Jane Manchun Wong in Messenger’s code-base.
The News Feed ad revenue growth has apparently slowed down amidst fluctuating user growth and limited ad space, and the social media giant has recently been focusing on its subsidiaries like Messenger and photo-messaging app Instagram, possibly in a bid to increase monetisation.
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