Live video is taking precedence over regular video on Facebook, as the social network has unveiled a new update to its ranking algorithm.
The update reveals that Facebook is considering live video as a new content type and as a result is ranking these videos higher in the News Feed when they are actually live. According to the social network, people spend three times more time watching a Facebook live video on average compared to a video that's no longer live - likely because the content of a live video is more interesting in real-time than after it has already happened.
"As with any new type of content in News Feed, we are learning what signals help us show you the most relevant Facebook Live videos for you personally," Facebook said in its announcement. "For example, a few years ago when more people began sharing and watching video on Facebook we listened to feedback to learn what signals helped us show people more of the videos they want to see and fewer of the videos they don't."
It is important to note that Facebook says Pages shouldn't see significant changes as a result of this update. What's more, as the social network continues to learn how people are watching live videos, it will also continue to improve its ranking.
