Meta has announced Facebook Reels is now available in Australia on iOS and Android, along with 150 countries around the world.
The expanded availability will now give better ways for creators to earn money, including new creation tools, as well as more places to watch and create Facebook Reels.
Video now accounts for almost half of the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram with Reels becoming the fastest-growing content format by far.
As a result, Meta is focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money – as well as the most fun and simplest tool for people to find and share relevant, entertaining content.
The tech giant is also building direct monetisation options for Facebook Reels through ad revenue share and fan support to help creators earn meaningful income in addition to in-stream ads and Stars.
Tests of Facebook Reels Overlay Ads will be expanded to creators in the US, Canada and Mexico. This will start with two formats: banner ads that appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel, and sticker ads: a static image ad that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel.
These non-interruptive ads enable creators to earn a portion of the ad revenue. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available.
Additional features creators around Australia will be able to access include Remix – which is creating a reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook to create a reel that includes all or part of another creator’s reel, 60-second Reels, the ability to save drafts, and video clipping – which will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats.
Meta will roll out the updates in the coming weeks, including making it easier to create and discover Reels such as Reels in Stories, Reels in the Watch tab, Top of Feed and Suggested Reels in Feed.
The tech giant is also exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as crossposting.
Will Easton, managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Meta, said: “At Meta we know that video is key to engaging audiences, and short-form video, in particular, is growing quickly in popularity.
“By launching Reels on Facebook, we’re meeting people where they are already sharing and connecting, and giving them even more options for how to express themselves. For businesses, the introduction of Reels is another innovative tool available on Facebook for them to engage more people in an immersive experience online,” he added.