Last year Facebook Watch was launched in the US and now a little over a year after its launch in the US, they are finally rolling it out worldwide so people in other parts of the world will be able to see it and use it. Matthew Henick who is Facebooks’ head of content planning, strategy and media partnerships said that they were “excited to bring a new distribution platform to our partners around the world.”
Facebook Watch is a service that provides people with the opportunity to stream videos hosted by Facebook and access to Facebook original series & shows which receive funding from the mega social platform. The service allows users to watch their friend’s and professionally produced content. People can pick from a range of shows from established brands and new players while also having the ability to view content saved from their news feeds.
Facebook first started broadcasting its range of original programming last August. They started with a duo of shows called ‘Ball In The Family’ and the other called ‘Virtually Dating’. Facebook has boosted the on-demand service since with dozens of new programs covering different areas like comedy, drama, reality TV, sports, talk shows and more. Some big hits on Facebook Watch to date include “SKAM Austin” which is a transmedia show about teenager’s lives. The show is set for a second season following its success. Talk show “Red Table Talk” which Jada Pinkett Smith and family talk about sensitive topics is another hit. Since its debut on May 7, the show has gained 2.9 million followers.
Content creators can feature advertising breaks once they meet certain metrics. Facebook will take 45% of all ad revenue leaving the creator with the remaining 55% share. In addition to the US, the ad breaks feature is now available in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand before being available in more than 20 countries in the coming weeks.
It is expected that Facebook will spend between $1 billion and $2 billion on content deals for Facebook Watch over the next year. They will focus on unique programming with “global appeal”, partnering with big production companies and independents. More information on Facebook Watch can be found here.