India key for learning, incubation, and testing of features: Top Meta official

India is the most significant country for Meta in terms of learning, incubation, and testing of new features across its platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, a top company official has said.

Speaking on the sidelines of Meta’s annual Creator Day, which was held for the first time in Kolkata recently, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships for Facebook India (Meta), said an example was the Reels feature (short-from videos).

“India is a very critical market for our platforms from multiple dimensions. A lot of new product learning and incubation is done here, and Reels is an example of that… this is the market where we have done the most amount of testing of new product features,” Chopra said.

The popularity of Reels

According to Chopra, the Reels feature has given a great opportunity to numerous brands and millions of creators to “express their creativity” and “build audiences” in India through short-form videos. He said it has gained massive popularity in India, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities, since its launch two years back.

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A new research report says around 200 million people spend about 45 minutes a day on short-form videos, and this figure is estimated to go up to 600 million people, said Chopra. “India is the lighthouse country for Reels for Meta globally,” he added.

“Digital advertising is a highly performing means for brands. It’s an efficient way to grow… In India, more than 50 per cent of the followers for the businesses that are on Instagram are coming from tier-2 and tier-3 cities. So, a company can reach out to these markets by being on Instagram and Facebook,” he pointed out.

Entertainment tool

Chopra added that short-form videos have given birth to a lot of music trends as well. Artistes use the 1 Minute Music format on Instagram to get “tremendous” distribution, he said. “We believe cricket, Bollywood, and music define a lot of culture in India. So, we continue to invest closely with partners who create these IPs (intellectual property),” Chopra elaborated.

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Meta has recently announced a partnership with the ICC. People can now watch the highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup through clips on Instagram Reels and Facebook.

Regarding fake profiles and propagation of fake news through Meta platforms, Chopra said the company takes constant measures to rein in such menace.

On fake news

“Putting a check on fake profiles and spread of misinformation is a constant area of investment for us. We are proactively taking down millions of fake accounts and have a large organisation that ensures we are responding appropriately to complaints. We also help users become more secure about their own accounts through new security features,” he said.

Talking about the event Creator Day, Chopra said it celebrates creators and gives them a chance to create, collaborate, and learn from each other.

(With agency inputs)