Meta has announced the expansion of its TikTok clone – Facebook Reels (which is similar to Instagram Reels, but now on Facebook) to more than 20 countries in Africa. The company has also announced it is introducing better ways to help creators earn money, alongside new creator tools.
The countries where the roll out is now live include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland, South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Mali, Malawi, Lesotho, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso.
Commenting on the launch Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa at Meta says, “We’ve seen that video now accounts for almost all of the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram, and Reels is our fastest growing content format by far. This is why we’re focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money. We also want to make it fun and easy for people to find and share relevant and entertaining content.”
Earning money through Reels:
Meta has said it is creating a variety of opportunities for creators to earn money for their reels. The Reels Play bonus program, part of Meta’s $1 billion creator investment, pays eligible creators up to $35,000 a month based on the views of their qualifying reels. This hasn’t yet rolled out in Africa though.
In the coming months, the bonus program will be extended to more countries, so more creators can get rewarded for creating reels that their communities love.
Meta is also launching brand suitability controls, including Publisher Lists, Blocklists, Inventory Filters and Delivery Reports for Banner and Sticker Ads in Facebook Reels in every region they are available, giving advertisers more control over how their ads appear in places they don’t consider suitable for their brand or campaign.
Additionally, Meta says it has also been testing full-screen and immersive ads in between Facebook Reels since October of last year, and will roll them out to more places around the world over the coming months. Just like with organic content on Facebook, people can comment, like, view, save, share and skip them.
Places Facebook Reels is available:
- Reels in Stories: You can share public reels to Stories on Facebook, making it easy to share favourite reels with friends and giving creators more visibility and reach. You’ll also be able to create reels from existing public stories.
- Reels in Watch: You’ll be able to watch reels directly within the Watch tab and we’re developing tools to help you create reels in the Watch tab as well.
- Top of Feed: We’re adding a new Reels label at the top of Feed so you’ll be able to easily create and watch reels in just a few clicks.
- Suggested Reels in Feed: In select countries, we’re starting to suggest reels that you may like in your Feed from people you do not already follow.
- You will also find Reels in Groups.
Meta has also mentioned it is exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as cross posting.
