Facebook has rolled out its Watch tab to audiences all around the world in a bid to take on YouTube
Facebook has seen quite a bit of success recently, implementing some of the key features of its competitors’ social networks into its own products. In particular, Instagram Stories has taken Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging concept and served it up to hundreds of millions of users.
Another competitor that Facebook is creeping up on is YouTube. The Facebook Watch tab launched in the U.S. last year, allows users to access premium video content as well as curated user generated content. This week Facebook has rolled out Facebook Watch globally meaning that its attempt to take on YouTube will now play out all over the world.
As well as rolling out Watch globally, Facebook is expanding the service in several ways. For the original launch only a select number of content publishers were able to monetize their content using ad breaks in their programming. This has now changed with all content creators having the option to run ad breaks if they are able to hit certain targets. According to the BBC, Facebook is asking for videos that will last longer than three minutes and will attract more than 30,000 viewers from creators who have at least 10,000 subscribers. The bad news for publishers is that Facebook will take a massive 45% cut of all advertising revenue generated by the content.
Will you be Tuning in to Facebook Watch?
Read nowAnother way Facebook is expanding the Watch tab is through the acquisition of well-produced drama. This will add to the numerous news and documentary style shows that were announced a while back in Facebook Watch’s first round of TV shows. In Particular, Elizabeth Olson’s new 10-part drama series, called Sorry for Your Loss, will air on Facebook Watch instead of Showtime, where it was originally due to be broadcast.
On top of simply offering a passive viewing experience, Facebook is keen to highlight that Watch will offer more. In the blog post announcing the Watch expansion, Facebook described what it has to offer:
“A place to discover new videos: Find the latest videos spanning entertainment, sports, news and more — all in your personalized Watch feed.
A way to catch up with creators and publishers you love: At the top of your Watch feed you’ll see your Watchlist, a collection of recent videos from Pages you follow. Customize this section by following more Pages or removing Pages from your follow list within Watch.
A home for your saved videos: If you see a video in News Feed but don’t have time to watch it right away, you can save it to watch later in Watch.
Videos you can participate in: We’re building new video experiences that put people at the center, giving them the ability to shape the direction of the content. Over time you’ll be able to find new video experiences in your Watch feed, like Watch Parties, Premieres, and videos focused on audience participation — like the new trivia game show, Confetti. And we’ll make it easier to find live videos so you can discuss the big moments as they’re happening.”
This global expansion into media is big news from Facebook. Watch is now available on PC and Mac, but also iOS, Android, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire devices, Android TV, Xbox One, and even in virtual reality via Oculus TV. Content is king though, so we’ll just have to wait and see how the content develops on Facebook’s new platform and if it’ll have the power to compete with YouTube’s established content creators.
