The Facebook Watch team is discussing: should we prioritize longer videos with ads or shorter videos with no interruptions?

Introduction

The Facebook Watch team is facing a critical decision: prioritize longer videos with ads or shorter videos without interruptions. This trade-off involves balancing user experience, content strategy, and revenue generation. I'll analyze this scenario by examining product understanding, stakeholder impacts, metrics, experimentation, and decision frameworks to provide a strategic recommendation.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: I'm thinking about the current state of Facebook Watch. Could you provide more context on its performance and user adoption rates?

Why it matters: Helps understand the urgency and scale of the decision Expected answer: Moderate adoption, room for growth Impact: Would influence how aggressive we need to be with changes

• Business Context: Based on Facebook's ad-driven model, I assume revenue is a key factor. How does Watch contribute to overall revenue, and what are the growth expectations?

Why it matters: Aligns solution with business objectives Expected answer: Significant revenue potential, expected to grow Impact: Would prioritize monetization strategies if revenue is crucial

• User Impact: I'm curious about user engagement patterns. Can you share data on average watch time and completion rates for different video lengths?

Why it matters: Informs content strategy and user preferences Expected answer: Higher engagement for shorter videos, but longer watch times for longer content Impact: Would help balance user experience with monetization

• Technical: Considering the global scale of Facebook, are there any bandwidth or infrastructure constraints that might affect video delivery or ad insertion?

Why it matters: Ensures technical feasibility of proposed solutions Expected answer: Some constraints in certain regions Impact: Might require region-specific strategies or phased rollout

• Resource: What's the current team capacity for implementing and maintaining different video formats and ad insertion technologies?

Why it matters: Determines feasibility of complex solutions Expected answer: Limited resources, need to prioritize Impact: Would influence the complexity of the proposed solution