There is no question about it: Facebook has dominated the social media platforms.
When most people think about social media, they think about Facebook. And who wouldn't? It's got everything. You can connect with friends, be updated about trends, talk with people far away via Messenger (it even has its built-in video call feature now), and all that you can ask for in a social media platform.
Now, Facebook is going to add even more to that experience by introducing Watch.
What is Facebook 'Watch'?
At its core, Facebook Watch is a place where people can find videos to watch — basically it's your sort of TV within the platform.
Of course, Facebook already has the video tab, but right now that tab is just a mess of everything: from homemade videos to videos produced by well-financed studios. One of the functions of Watch is to attempt to create a structure for Facebook videos.
Shows on Facebook Watch will be organized into episodes. Most of these will follow a persistent theme or storyline. There will also be a feature called the "Watchlist," so that when you find a show you like, you'll never miss out on any of the episodes.
These shows, like most of the content on Facebook, will soon be personalized to cater to one's interests. There will also be a section that showcases popular videos, as well as trends like "What Made People Laugh" — which will list videos that got the most "Haha" reaction in a given time frame.
Facebook Watch can also be a social viewing experience. Like Facebook Live, Watch will have an option to show reactions and comments by other viewers in real-time.
Shows to look forward to
A report by The Verge revealed that Facebook already has shows prepared to "seed" the new feature. These shows are to be with the feature on launch and are supposed to act like a springboard until more and more creators add content to the Watch feature.
These shows include "Gabby Bernstein," a bestselling author and a motivational speaker; "Nas Daily," a channel that creates videos with its fans; and "Kitchen Little," a cooking show where chefs follow directions from children.
Facebook did finance shows to start on Watch, and publishing on it is invite-only for now. Eventually, publishing will be made available to more and more people, and the revenue will come through ad placements.
It has been reported that if the feature takes off, Facebook will get a 45 percent share of the ad revenue generated from the content.
