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Facebook Tweaks News Feed to Emphasize Longer Videos, Mid-Rolls

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Facebook announced changes yesterday to the algorithm is uses to choose which videos get shown in users' news feeds. The system now puts more weight behind longer videos, which will result more longer videos being surfaced and more mid-roll ads getting shown.

The social network is adding percent completion to the factors it considers when ranking videos. Other factors considered include engagement time, whether the volume is on or off, and full-screen viewing. Considering completion percentages, Facebook says, will show which videos its members find more compelling. Explaining that watching a longer video is "a bigger commitment than completing a shorter one," Facebook will weight longer videos more heavily in its calculations.

Featuring more long-form videos ties in with Facebook's goal from earlier this month to begin testing 15-second mid-roll video ads. Facebook's mid-rolls start at the 20-second mark on videos at least 90-seconds long.

"While we expect that most Pages will not see significant changes in distribution as a result of this update, longer videos that people spend time watching may see a slight increase in distribution on Facebook," the company states. It then cautions members that this doesn't mean all long-form videos will be emphasized, only those people find engaging. 

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