YouTube alternative ‘Facebook Watch’ launches worldwide
Facebook on Wednesday announced via an official blog post that ‘Facebook Watch’ will now be “available everywhere.”
Considered as an answer to YouTube, Facebook Watch, the video-on-demand (VOD) platform, allows users to view video on different genres like sports, news, entertainment along with videos from content creators in their personalized Watch Feed. It also allows users to comment and react to videos on real time on Facebook Watch. For those unaware, Facebook Watch was only launched in the U.S. in August 2017.
By breaking loose from its limited availability in the States, Facebook is looking to attract more people to its VOD platform through its global reach and also increase its advertisement revenue.
“Every month, more than 50 million people in the U.S. come to watch videos for at least a minute in Watch — and total time spent watching videos in Watch has increased by 14X since the start of 2018,” said Facebook’s Head of Video Fidji Simo in the official blog post.
“Taking Watch global also means new opportunities for creators and publishers around the world. We’re expanding our Ad Breaks program so more partners can make money from their videos, and we’re offering new insights, tools and best practices for Pages in Creator Studio,” Simo added.
Ad revenue will be divided into two parts, 55% for the content creator and 45% for Facebook, which was also the same ratio in the United States.
“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,” Simo said.
“We’re excited to bring Watch to everyone around the world, and invite you to join in the action in our new video destination,” Simo added.
According to Facebook, Watch has the following things 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.
Facebook has reportedly signed on Buzzfeed, Vox Media, ATTN, Group Nine Media and others to produce original content for Watch. The social media giant is also rumored to be in talks with news agencies including the likes of CNN and Fox News to soon launch a news-centric section in the Watch section.
To access Watch on iOS and Android, check out the Watch icon in your shortcuts bar or the “More” bookmark. Watch is also available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xbox One and Oculus TV.
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