Facebook is a social media platform that has proved itself from the very early stages since it was established. It is still one of the most used social media platforms in the world. In fact, we can say that it is a pioneering platform. Facebook has been around the internet for a long time. and to keep it going it has to do some innovations such as a Watch Party. So what is a Watch Party on Facebook?
Facebook offered freedom compared to the forum sites of that time. Actually, it still offers it and it is very easy to use.
Remember the times when video streaming platforms were totally different websites. Especially live video platforms. You wouldn’t know what to expect when opening a live video from those websites.
However, today, things have changed. Watching live videos or watching videos at all is not tied to the websites that only offer videos. Now it is possible to watch videos almost on all social networks.
Facebook already offered watching videos. However, watching live videos is now possible too. Watching live videos is not limited to video streaming platforms anymore. You can watch live videos on Facebook as well.
So what is a Facebook Watch Party? Is it basically watching live videos? The answer is no. There is a reason why it is called ‘Watch Party.’
Facebook Watch Party Feature
When you gather with your friends at a friend’s house, you do some activities, like watching a movie. You get your drinks, popcorn, and turn off the lights to enjoy the movie. While you watch, you talk about the movie and express your ideas about what will happen next.
A Watch Party on Facebook is just like that, only in an online environment. It is a shared viewing experience. When Facebook introduced the Watch Party feature, it was only available on Facebook Groups. We suppose it was made like that to create a feeling like an activity among friends like we have mentioned before.
However, it is now possible to use the Watch Party feature on Facebook Pages and Personal Pages.
It is something different than Facebook Live. The videos on Watch Parties don’t have to be live. They can be pre-recorded too. However, there is a limitation on the videos. You cannot add videos from YouTube or any other video streaming platforms. The videos should be Facebook hosted. It is possible to add any Public Facebook video. If the video is not live, it should be at most two years old. You cannot add older videos than that.
How Does Watch Party Work?
It is like a house party. There is a host and he/she creates the party. The host can add videos. It is possible to add multiple videos and they get into a queue.
Viewers can have a discussion about the video. They can chat watch and comment while everyone is watching the video. They can also make reactions and suggest videos in real-time. However, it is up to the host to decide whether to put or not the videos in the queue.
How to Create a Watch Party?
It is possible to create a Watch party both on a desktop and on a mobile device. Now let’s take a look at how to do it. The process is the same for both desktop and mobile. It is also the same for Profiles, Pages, and Groups.
- When you open Facebook, go to the ‘Create Post’ section at the top of the screen or you can find it on your News Feed, and click or tap on the three-dotted button on the right.
- Select the ‘Watch Party’ feature from the menu. It has a popcorn icon next to it.
- When you are on the Watch Party page, make adjustments about your Watch Party. Add a title first, however, you can change it after you start the party.
- You can also add some information about it by writing on the ‘Say something about this…’ section.
- You can add co-hosts and adjust the privacy settings to decide who can see the videos.
- Then select videos. The videos are categorized as Live, Saved, Suggested, and Watched. You can also search for a specific video from the search bar as well.
- If you are adding multiple videos, you can choose their order. You can do this from the ‘View Queue’ button.
- You have to end the Watch Party manually. If you don’t take action for a long time, Facebook ends it, however, your videos would be available to everyone until that happens.
Read also: How to Download Facebook Videos?
Conclusion
We have covered ‘what is a Watch Party’ on Facebook. Watching live videos and making live comments are common things on social media platforms. Facebook is not behind this feature, in fact, it brings a new perspective to it with its hosting options.
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1 Comment
I need to throw a watch party on Facebook as soon as possible. Can’t thank you enough for this.