Facebook Joins the Fight Against TikTok... Launches Similar Service 'Reels'

Launch of 15-Second Video Service 'Reels' via Subsidiary Instagram
Available in 50 Countries Worldwide Including the US, UK, and Australia

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Instagram, a subsidiary of Facebook, has launched 'Reels,' a service for sharing short videos of around 15 seconds, similar to the Chinese social networking service (SNS) TikTok. Following the U.S. government, Facebook, the world's largest SNS, has also joined the campaign against TikTok.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 5th (local time), Facebook announced that starting from that day, it would launch the Reels service through Instagram in more than 50 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, and India.

Instagram users can access the service by selecting Reels at the bottom of the camera within the Instagram app without installing a separate application. Users can create 15-second video clips like TikTok and share them through Instagram, with editing software similar to TikTok's.

Amid the U.S. government's attacks on TikTok, the Associated Press evaluated that Facebook, which has the world's largest user base, has limitless opportunities by launching a similar service, Reels.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Kevin Mayer, TikTok's CEO and a former Disney executive, harshly criticized Facebook in his first official statement after taking office, saying, "Facebook is maliciously attacking our U.S. business to ruin it."

He also targeted Facebook's then-upcoming 'Reels,' calling it a mere "copycat" that imitates TikTok.

As the U.S. government is involved in the acquisition battle between Microsoft and TikTok over TikTok's U.S. market operations, major foreign media reported that tensions are expected to escalate further with Facebook's announcement of the Reels launch.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.