Meta Platforms, Inc.
Displaying additional external video content along with users participating in a video exchange session

Abstract:

When an online system creates a video exchange session, a user participating in the video exchange session requests inclusion of external video data from an external source other than users participating in the video exchange session. The online system displays the external video content received from the external source in an interface in conjunction with video content received from the users participating in the video exchange session. Displaying the external video content in conjunction with video content from users participating in the video exchange session allows the online system to provide the users with a distraction while in the video exchange session. The online system may associate different external sources with different activities for the video exchange session, allowing selection of an activity to determine the displayed external video content.