Since its start in 2004, Facebook has revolutionized social media. The social networking giant works tirelessly at staying on top of trends brought about by other platforms and makes a huge (and visible) effort to be at the cusp of anything new. Enter Facebook’s newest addition, the Watch tab.
The Washington Post accurately and concisely described the new tab as a combination of the Facebook-owned Instagram Live feature, Facebook Live, Youtube, Twitter and traditional television.
Image via Facebook Newsroom
The developers at Facebook took the huge role video has been playing on their platform into consideration when working on the Watch tab. They stated that the U.S. based launch of their video tab last year was created to allow users to find videos easily. They are now wanting to bring shows to Facebook users with the same ease.
Because we know there is a lot of information swirling around out there, we like to find exactly what you need to know about all things digital. So, straight from the source, Facebook states, “We’re introducing Watch, a new platform for shows on Facebook. Watch will be available on mobile, on desktop and laptop, and in our TV apps. Shows are made up of episodes — live or recorded — and follow a theme or storyline. To help you keep up with the shows you follow, Watch has a Watchlist so you never miss out on the latest episodes.”
This new platform can be used by creators and publishers to hone in on a specific community, find passionate fans and get paid for their work.
But not just anyone can upload a video to the new tab and rake in money. Facebook’s Watch tab will be home to original video content produced exclusively for it by partners. These partners will earn 55% of ad break revenue while Facebook keeps 45%.
Facebook plans to tackle live event coverage, scripted shows and reality television. Scrolling through the list of the Watch tab’s first original programming has us ready to see all that it has to offer! We spotted a Mike Rowe original, a series from Tastemade and a few National Geographic shows. Take a look at the series that have been announced here.
Although the official announcement and launch was yesterday, Thursday, August 10th. It’s Facebook’s plan to roll out Watch and all of its features to more users and more content creators soon. The service will first be available to the U.S. before it releases internationally. As of today, no one in our office had the newest Facebook addition but we are excited to explore once it becomes available!
