Facebook has recently been sending emails that it will be discontinuing the “Watch Party” feature. Launched in July 2018, Watch Party allows people to watch Facebook videos together in real-time. Once it starts, participants can interact with one another while watching live or recorded videos. Watch Party has been a useful tool to connect families and friends since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
As quoted, here’s Facebook’s email circulating among users who have used Watch Party:
“We are sending you this email because you have previously hosted a watch party on Facebook. We would like to inform you that starting from 16 April 2021, Watch Party will no longer be available on Facebook. This means that you will no longer be able to create or view watch parties across Pages, profiles, or groups, and all previous watch parties will no longer be available to re-watch. If you would like to download your past Watch Party posts or comments, please click the link below for more information. Your data will be available for download through April 15, 2021.”
To download, just go to the “Settings” of a Facebook account, choose “Your Facebook Information”, and click “Download My Information.”
Facebook to end watch parties by 15 April 2021.
Implications for Marketers:
Watch Parties have been an important part of Facebook marketing. The platform hasn’t cleared why they are putting it to an end. For marketers, this calls for the adoption of new ways to better connect to Facebook audiences. They can go live more often or upload native videos. They can also try to repurposed video content and post it to other channels like YouTube, Twitter, etc.
Reference: https://www.techjuice.pk/facebook-is-ending-watch-party-feature-on-april-16th/
