Facebook is revamping how its users watch video on Facebook,
starting with launching of an all new platform called Watch. This move, which
will bring in a lot of original content, is its plan to better compete with
video-streaming rivals such as Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube.
The new platform for Facebook’s mobile, desktop, and
television apps will start to show up this week for select users in the U.S.
before hitting more locations “soon.”
Watch promises to be a more structured version of the video
tab than what it launched last year, it will offer suggestions for new shows
based on what your friends and communities are watching.
Facebook elaborated in a post outlining the new platform:
“You’ll find sections like ‘Most Talked About,’ which highlights shows that
spark conversation, ‘What’s Making People Laugh,’ which includes shows where
many people have used the ‘Haha’ reaction, and ‘What Friends Are Watching,’
which helps you connect with friends about shows they too are following.”
Adding comments to content will be easy, too, with Facebook
noting that “comments and reactions to a video are often as much a part of the
experience as the video itself.” It means that when you watch a show, you’ll be
able to cast your eye over real-time opinions from other viewers and, if you
wish, “connect with friends and other viewers while watching, or participate in
a dedicated Facebook Group for the show.”
The company said its original programming will include a new
safari slot from National Geographic, a comedy cooking show, a Mike
Rowe-fronted show where he rewards people who’ve done great things for their
community, and broadcasts of women’s national basketball clashes. Its Major
League Baseball coverage will continue, Facebook confirmed.
While Facebook is doing deals with mainstream partners, it’s
also urging independent creators to get involved, pointing out that Watch
offers an opportunity to “find an audience, build a community of passionate
fans, and earn money.” For now, publishers have to be invited onto the Watch
tab. Over time, though, Facebook expects to let anyone publish to it. Right now
there are “dozens” of shows available; by the time Watch is available globally,
that number will be in the hundreds, Danker said.
The social networking giant has been steadily preparing its
push into original programming, last year hiring CollegeHumor co-founder Ricky
Van Veen to help organize its efforts.
Video is where it’s at for Facebook, and bundling ads with
shows should help to boost revenue for the company — so long as the content is
strong enough to hook those who use its service.
Will it succeed? Facebook has plenty of advantages at
launch. It has 2 billion people with their eyes glued to its app, and lately
those people have demonstrated a healthy appetite for consuming video. It has
commitments from big publishers and entertainment companies, who are desperate
to find large new audiences and sustainable new sources of revenue. It has a
product team that excels at copying the best bits of other services and integrating
them into its own apps, iterating on them over time to maximize their
addictiveness.
But it has disadvantages, too. For starters, the marketplace
for online video is insanely crowded. At the high end, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and
Amazon dominate. In the realm of user-generated content, YouTube has a 12-year
head start in attracting creators and viewers, who are watching an hour of
video a day there. And Facebook’s first big push into video, which centered on
live broadcasts, largely sputtered.
For now, though, it would seem unwise to underestimate
Facebook. The company is rich, and can afford to be patient. It may not deliver
a brilliant video tab in the short term. But given the billions of dollars at
stake, I expect the company to keep trying until it does
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