Facebook took Reels from the US to 150-plus countries

The test

Meta first brought Reels to Facebook in the United States on 29 September 2021, according to its own newsroom post, describing “short form, entertaining video experiences and tools that have inspired creators on Instagram” arriving in News Feed and Groups. Five months later, on 22 February 2022, TechCrunch reported that “Facebook Reels today is becoming globally available in more than 150 countries,” citing Meta's confirmation. The report states Meta was also expanding tests of “Overlay Ads” — non-interruptive banner and sticker formats layered atop a reel rather than pausing it — to all creators in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, planning to reach “nearly all the 50+ countries where in-stream ads are already available” by mid-March.

What the evidence says

Meta's 2021 post is the company's own account of the Facebook debut, describing discovery mechanics — a dedicated News Feed section, Groups sharing, and a test letting Instagram creators have reels recommended on Facebook — within a stated $1 billion creator-bonus commitment. TechCrunch's 2022 report adds facts Meta did not publish as its own announcement: the company told the reporter the Overlay Ads share would follow “the same revenue share with creators that it uses today for its in-stream ads program, which is 55% to the creator and 45% to Facebook,” and that Reels was, from its Q4 2021 earnings, its “fastest-growing content format by far.” Both figures are Meta's own disclosures relayed through the reporter, not audited.

The sample and the variance

The February 2022 milestone describes availability, not adoption: becoming globally available in more than 150 countries states where the feature could be used, not how many people used it or how usage varied by market. The Overlay Ads revenue share and expansion plan were explicitly framed as tests — a small handful had already been invited over the prior months, and the 55/45 split “could evolve as tests continue” — so neither figure should be read as a permanent structure. Meta's characterization of Reels as its fastest-growing format is a self-reported comparison across its own product lines, not against any competitor's growth rate.

What to try next

A creator or marketer evaluating Facebook as a Reels channel in early 2022 could note the global availability date and stated ad-test parameters as the concrete facts on record, while treating the revenue-share figure and “fastest-growing” claim as time-bound, consistent with how Meta itself framed them. This is an editorial caution drawn from the sources' own qualifying language, not a prediction about how the terms evolved.

• Did the Overlay Ads test's 55/45 creator revenue share change once it expanded beyond the initial U.S., Canada and Mexico test group?
• How did Facebook Reels adoption compare across the 150-plus countries where it became available on the same February 2022 date?
• What specific data did Meta rely on to describe Reels as its fastest-growing content format by far in its Q4 2021 earnings characterization?

Meta's account of the September 2021 U.S. launch and TechCrunch's February 2022 report together document a five-month path from one country to more than 150, with ad-monetization details still in flux at the global-launch date.