Facebook adopts 'views' as key performance metric

Meta has announced a shift in Facebook’s performance metrics, introducing 'Views' as the central measurement for content consumption. This change aligns Facebook with Instagram, which adopted the same approach in August. The update is aimed at simplifying performance analytics across both platforms and accommodating the rise of video content.  

The new 'Views' metric standardises the tracking of all content types, including videos, images, text, and Stories, across Facebook and Instagram. It counts the number of times content appears on a user’s screen, including repeated views. This replaces 'Impressions' for Stories and certain other posts, potentially increasing view counts due to repeat interactions.  

The company has also updated its video metrics, replacing 'Watch Time' and 'Average Watch Time' with 'Minutes Viewed' and 'Average Minutes Viewed.' While these measure the same behaviours, they now provide data rounded to the nearest minute, rather than by the second. Other metrics such as 'Reach' and 'Engagement rates' remain unchanged.  

The update is designed to streamline analytics for creators and brands while reflecting evolving content trends. However, marketers may notice variances in their data, as views encompass more repeated actions compared to impressions.  

The rollout of these changes has begun and will be integrated into Meta Business Suite and Professional Dashboard in the coming weeks. This update underscores Meta’s focus on video-driven engagement and cross-platform consistency for creators and advertisers.