Instagram recently implemented a new view count feature that shows how many views a video has received, allowing the Facebook-owned service to compete with Google for advertising dollars.
In his recent article, Arjun Karpal, News Assistant at CNBC, describes Instagram’s new video view count feature. Videos posted to Instagram will now display a view counter where the number of likes used to be shown. Analysts believe that this will aid in attracting brands and content producers to the social media channel, resulting in more revenue through advertising. Richard Broughton, Research Director at Ampere Analysis, says, “If you want to attract branded content, having a view count is essential.” Video counts reveal the commercial implications of advertising on Instagram and allow brands to check and monitor the performance of their own social media marketing content and ads.
Video is a dominant aspect of Facebook’s social media marketing platform. The social media giant claims to clock in about 100 million hours of daily video views. Mark Zuckerberg recently shared that content creators will soon be able to pocket a share of revenue from video views on Facebook. Video ad spend is expected to hit $9.59 billion in the U.S. this year, and Instagram is projected to earn $1.48 billion in global ad revenue.
The video view count feature played a significant role in the rise of YouTube stars and influencers. Popular users who generate a high number of views are able to earn millions of dollars through advertising and product endorsement deals. Facebook and Instagram hope to attract the same level of talent and advertising opportunities in the future.
