Facebook Watch is the social network's latest video platform
One of the things that no one can deny about Facebook is that the team(s) working on the social network are very good at understanding where the future is headed. For instance, everyday users were obviously disappointed when Messenger became mandatory yet the platform now boasts 1.2 billion monthly users and is an undeniable success for the company.
Video is something that Facebook has been particularly keen on for the past few years, and for good reason. The company has understood that engaging videos keep people on the platform for as long as possible where they can be served delicious advertising and brand promotions.
If there is one goal that Facebook has, it’s to keep people using its various applications and services for as long as humanly possible. If it could find a way to serve people food and water through the social network, reality wouldn’t be a far cry from a Black Mirror episode.
Now, the social network has unveiled yet another dedicated video platform named Facebook Watch. The platform will reside in its own tab and it’s the company’s attempt to compete with traditional TV as well as major video platforms like YouTube.
Facebook Watch, as one might expect, will serve a lot of different content in a traditional Facebook way. What that means is that you should expect to see videos from major publishers like BuzzFeed, ATTN, and Vox Media as well as videos from amateur producers.
As you might have already guessed from those media groups, a lot of the content will be aimed at a millennial audience. This is an obvious move as millennials are far more likely than any other group to watch videos on Facebook as they devour such content across a multitude of platforms including YouTube, Netflix, and Snapchat.
The content you will find on Facebook Watch will be personalized so it might actually stand a good chance to attract other audience groups too. If BuzzFeed is not your thing, for instance, and you tell Facebook all about it, then it will simply serve you more relevant content instead.
In the official announcement, the company says that Facebook Watch is “a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work”.
Interestingly, the phraseology used in the announcement suggests that this is quite an experimental feature for Facebook. More specifically, the social network seems unsure on what kind of shows will be successful on Facebook Watch, poising anything from reality TV to live sports as a potential hit.
Facebook Watch will initially launch for a small group of people in the US before rolling out to more in the region.
