Facebook Metric Deprecation (June 2026)

Update — June 19, 2026:

Meta switched to media viewers metrics on June 17, 2026. Emplifi matched this switch in Content, Dashboard, Unified Analytics, and the Emplifi API on June 19, 2026. Affected total reach widgets now use Meta's media viewers endpoints instead of legacy unique impression metrics.

Reach values may appear higher than with the previous metric. Meta is replacing reach based on content entering the screen with unique media viewers: people who viewed media (content played or displayed). These definitions are not directly comparable. Increases or other shifts in reach reflect Meta's new method of counting viewers, not a calculation change in Emplifi.

Several Facebook unique reach metrics are being retired at the Meta platform level in June 2026. As part of this change, Emplifi is rolling out updated reach reporting across Content, Dashboard, Unified Analytics, and the Emplifi API. Read Meta's announcement here.

Cross-platform widgets that combine Facebook with other networks continue to display data for the non-Facebook platforms unchanged. Only the Facebook side switches source.

This page explains what is changing, what replaces what, and what to expect in your boards and widgets after the switch.

General impact

The change affects three groups of metrics:

1. Total unique reach metrics stay in the product. The underlying source switches to a new Facebook endpoint. Values remain unique-user counts.

2. Paid and organic unique reach metrics are being removed. The paid and organic split is no longer available as a unique-user metric. If you need paid and organic attribution, use Paid impressions and Organic impressions instead, which have been in the product since November 2025.

3. Unique video views metrics are being removed. The platform is not providing a replacement.

Where a replacement is available, historical data reflects the new metric for the full available time range. (see Facebook Metric Deprecation (June 2026) | Historical data and backfill below). There is no blended period. The transition is clean and complete on the rollout date.

Replacement metrics

The following metrics are direct replacements. Existing widgets keep working, with the new source filling them on the rollout date. Values stay as unique-user counts.

A note on rate metrics

Reach engagement rate is calculated from two ingredients. Only the reach side of the formula is moving to the new source on the rollout date. The numerator (engagement counts: reactions, comments, shares, and similar) is unchanged.

Formulas, simplified:

• Profile-level Reach engagement rate = (Engaged users ÷ Page reach) × 100

• Post-level Reach engagement rate = (Interactions ÷ Post reach) × 100

Removed metrics

The following metrics are being removed and will no longer return data after the rollout date.

Why some numbers may differ

For replaced metrics, the underlying event definition changes:

• Legacy reach (unique impressions)counted unique people who had content from or about your Page enter their screen, including posts, check-ins, ads, and social information.

• The replacement metric (media viewers) counts unique media viewers: people who viewed media when content was played or displayed, including videos, posts, stories, and ads.

Both are unique-user counts, but the events being counted are not identical. In practice, reach often reads higher under the new metric. Values may shift after the rollout, and trend shapes may differ. This is expected and reflects Meta's new way of tracking viewers, not a calculation change in Emplifi. Here are the three main reasons for the shift:

• More places are counted: Meta now captures views on extra surfaces, like when someone reshares your post or sees a tiny preview (thumbnail) of your content that wouldn't have triggered an impression before.

• Repeat visitors are counted sooner: Previously, Meta applied a strict rule: if the same person saw your content multiple times within a 48-hour window, they were only counted once. Meta has removed this 48-hour restriction, so more of your actual unique views are recognized.

• A brand-new tracking system: Meta completely rebuilt the internal data pipeline and math they use to calculate these numbers, meaning the old metrics and new metrics are fundamentally different and cannot be compared 1:1.

Historical data and backfill

The new source is backfilled to May 1, 2025. On the rollout date, every affected widget displays new-source data from May 1, 2025 onward. There is no blended period. The swap is complete and historical values reflect the new source for the full available range.

A few things to be aware of:

• You may notice slight differences in historical numbers. This is expected and reflects the underlying data Meta provides. It is not a calculation change in Emplifi.

• The earliest available data for replacement metrics is May 1, 2025. This is sufficient for year-over-year reporting going forward. If you need comparisons against periods before May 2025 (for example, pre-COVID baselines), export historical values before the rollout.

For removed metrics, historical data is retained in Emplifi for 90 days after the rollout date for reference. After that, the metric and its widgets are retired. If you need to keep historical values beyond that window, export them before the 90-day mark.

Summary

Dashboard

All widgets listed in the tables above (replaced are removed) are affected. Deprecation notices and tooltips appear on these widgets before the rollout date. It will be impossible to add new widgets containing replaced metrics after the rollout. After the rollout, deprecated metrics will no longer be available for selection in the Select widget section of Emplifi.

For cross-platform widgets that combine Facebook with other networks, the Facebook contribution to a removed metric stops on the rollout date. Data from the other networks continues to display where they provide the equivalent metric.

Dashboard templates: When you generate a new report from a Dashboard template, deprecated metrics are automatically excluded from the output.

Dashboards shared between users via a link are user-created and user-owned. After the rollout, shared links keep working: replaced metrics switch to the new source automatically, and removed metrics return empty data. If you maintain a template that is shared with other users, review it for affected widgets before the rollout so the people receiving it see the expected data.

Unified Analytics

Widgets: After the rollout, deprecated metrics will no longer be available for selection in the Unified Analytics widget editor. Existing widgets that use replaced metrics keep displaying data from the new source. Existing widgets that use removed metrics stop returning data on the rollout date.

For cross-platform widgets that combine Facebook with other networks, the Facebook contribution to a removed metric stops on the rollout date. Data from the other networks continues to display where they provide the equivalent metric.

Preset boards: All boards containing widgets listed in the tables above (replaced and removed) are affected. Deprecation notices and tooltips appear on these widgets before the rollout date.

Content App

Feed - Performance view: columns and sort fields for Reach paid, Organic reach, Insights impressions viral unique, and Unique video views are removed. Reach per content is replaced with the new source.

Feed - Content overview: removed metrics are dropped from the cards after the rollout. Cards themselves are kept in all cases; only the affected metrics within them are updated to the replacement source or removed.

Post detail (Post insights and Video reach sections): deprecation banners appear above the affected metric groups before the rollout.

Custom metrics

Custom metrics built on top of the affected reach fields continue to compute after the rollout. The underlying source switches automatically, and values may shift slightly because the underlying event definition changes from impression to media view. Both measure unique users; the trigger is slightly different.

Custom metrics that reference removed fields (paid or organic unique reach, unique video views, viral unique) stop returning data on the rollout date.

Emplifi API

A field-level changelog is published in the public API documentation. High-level summary:

• Profile-level (Facebook): total unique reach fields are replaced with a new source. Unique-user semantics are preserved. Paid profile reach, profile impressions, paid profile impressions, and profile-level unique video views are removed.

• Post-level (cross-platform, Facebook side): reach per content and reach engagement rate are replaced. The paid and organic dimension on reach per content is removed. Post-level unique video views is removed. Cross-platform metric names stay the same; only the Facebook source changes.

For exact field names and migration guidance, see the API changelog.

What you need to do

For most customers, no action is required for total reach metrics. Your existing widgets continue to work with the new source on the rollout date.

If you rely on paid or organic reach widgets, the recommended path is:

1. Replace those widgets with Paid impressions or Organic impressions, already available in the product.

2. Note that the new metric counts paid (or organic) media views, not unique users at the breakdown level. Total-level reach remains a unique-user metric.

If you rely on unique video views or viral reach, those metrics have no platform replacement. Export historical values you want to keep before the 90-day retention window closes.