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Last week Facebook announced its newest feature, designed to help you spend even more time on the site. That’s right, if you’re concerned that you aren’t spending nearly enough time on Facebook, this news will help solve your problem.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook announced on his Facebook page that Facebook Watch will be coming soon.
You may wonder whether Facebook Watch is a device that’s worn on your wrist, like Apple Watch, and is meant to pair with the short-lived Facebook Phone.
But no, Facebook Watch is not a watch at all. Facebook Watch is a streaming video service, somewhat like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Video, that will be available within Facebook.
Facebook Watch also is part traditional TV in that shows will be scheduled. You can tune in to watch shows as they are released each week at a specific day and time, just like programmed TV.
This video from Facebook introduces Facebook Watch:
Although Facebook Watch is free, some shows will have advertisements.
What You Can Watch on Facebook Watch
What can you watch on Facebook Watch?
Shows will include everything from news to entertainment to sports to reality TV. Some shows will be broadcast live while others will be pre-recorded. Facebook anticipates having hundreds of shows available at first, then eventually thousands of shows will be coming to viewers.
Shows will come from independent third-parties as well as from Facebook itself, which is paying some organizations to produce shows specifically for its new service.
Major League Baseball will be showing one game a week on Facebook Watch. Other shows will come from producers such as A&E, Mashable, NPR, NASA, and National Geographic.
One example of an original Facebook Watch show is Returning the Favor by Mike Rowe, in which the host visits towns where people are doing extraordinary things and then he does something extraordinary in return for those people.
You can nominate people to be included on the show by posting on Mike Rowe’s Facebook page.
Facebook Watch Gets Social
Facebook, which was invented to put “social” into media, has added a social element to this service. Unlike other streaming media or traditional TV, Facebook Watch has added social features to enhance what you watch. From Mark Zuckerberg, “It can be a chance to share an experience and bring people together who care about the same things.”
You’ll be able to add comments on Facebook while you watch and discuss shows with your friends.
Shows on Facebook Watch will have Groups you can join if you like the show. In these Groups you can discuss episodes and connect with others to discuss the show.
Finding Shows to Watch
Facebook has added several features to make it easy to find shows that interest you. Facebook Watch has a Watchlist so you can remember to watch your favorite shows as soon as they become available.
There’s also a Discover tab to help you find shows that interest you.
Facebook Watch will recommend videos for you in a What Your Friends Are Watching section, based on what shows your friends like, according to how many Likes a show gets from your friends.
Additionally, it will suggest shows for you based on which videos others on Facebook react positively to. You’ll see recommendations of popular videos and videos Facebook thinks will be of interest to you, such as Most Talked About or What’s Making People Laugh.
Creating Shows for Facebook Watch
If you’ve always wanted to produce your own show, Facebook Watch may be the place for you to get started. Facebook is trying to make it easier for shows to gain viewers on Facebook Watch with Show Pages. Each show will have a Show Page for viewers to follow to learn more about the show and perhaps interact with the creators of the show.
While Facebook probably won’t pay you to bring a show to Facebook Watch, you could earn revenue from advertising.
You can apply to bring a show to Facebook Watch at the Facebook Watch application page.
Where You Can Watch Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is currently available to a small group of Facebook users in the US first, to help test for any issues. It will then be available to the entire US, and then to all Facebook users eventually.
When you get access to Facebook Watch, you’ll be able to watch it on the Facebook mobile app, on Facebook’s website and on the Facebook app on Apple TV.
To see whether you have Facebook Watch, look for a TV icon on Facebook.
Your Thoughts
Do you have Facebook Watch yet? Are you excited about watching shows on Facebook Watch? Would you like to have a show on Facebook Watch?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
Happy Monday 🙂
Honestly, I really had the impression that it was a wearable watch judging from the name! So now we’ll have one more TV to watch, the FB TV. But I think it’s smart to add social to this media and this makes it different and interesting.
I’ll be eagerly waiting for its global launch. I’d definitely give it a try but about having my own show.. may be not. 🙂 But that’s a unique idea as well and I’m sure many would jump to it.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Wouldn’t it be cool to for us to be watching a show on Facebook and chatting about it live as we’re watching from across the globe?
I think the key to this will be the quality of the shows. If they’re ones people want to watch, Facebook Watch could be a hit.
I’d LOVE to have my own show on Facebook Watch Carolyn. I have an idea to turn 27 of my wildest Netflix experiences into a series for my beloved show hub. Slowly writing travel pages devoted to each page. I do love the idea and feel it’d be cool to spend a few hours sifting thru the Watch offerings. I also feel Mr. Z will control the world shortly LOL.
Hi Ryan, I would love to see your show on Facebook Watch! Your unique and fascinating life blogging from around the world is custom-made for this service.
I hope you do get a show on Facebook Watch, Ryan. I’ll keep Wonder of Tech readers posted if that does happen…
Hi Carolyn
Honestly speaking, Initially, I thought it is a kind of Wearable like Apple Watch and stuff but then I realized that Facebook is more of Virtual developers rather than a Hardware manufacturer. But with FB watch, Facebook is really scaling up their empire. It is pretty good news for Online Marketers as we all witnessed the organic reach of the facebook and how important FB can be for the growth of your online business.
All over, if FB watch comes with LIVE TV kind of thing, the traditional way of Watching TV is going to end in no time and if it comes with their own shows, then Netflix & Amazon Prime have to work even harder.
Anyways, thank you, Carolyn, for the post. It is good to be here.
Hi Jayant, Great to have you back at The Wonder of Tech!
Yes, I first thought that Facebook was making a watch, as they did with a phone. But no, they’re launching a streaming video service that’s free.
Good point, content providers can make money with selling advertising on the videos and marketers have another place to reach a targeted audience.
I hope the content is must-see TV!
Will Facebook Watch be better than the Apple Watch?
According to me, last year Facebook had a great response from video ads. Now they are trying to enhance video section by which they can earn more. money from video ads.
Hi Suraj, Time will tell whether Facebook Watch is better than Apple Watch (ha ha!).
I don’t have access to Facebook Watch yet, but I hope it’s coming soon. I’m excited to try it.
You’re right, Facebook Watch is a potential new revenue source for Facebook so I’m sure it’s eager to have it succeed.
Nice article about Facebook Watch. I didn’t know about Facebook Watch but this article made me aware about Facebook Watch.
So thanks for sharing this post.
Hi Monika, I’m glad you were able to learn about Facebook Watch from this article. i still don’t have it yet, but hope to get it soon!