Facebook Inc Plans To Topple YouTube Dominance

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Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has invited content producers to test distribute their videos on the social network, according to the Wall Street Journal. In what may seem as the social networking’s efforts to overshadow YouTube, the company has got in touch, with some of the video site’s biggest content producers, with the offer.

Facebook Inc Plans To Topple YouTube Dominance

Big names testing video on Facebook

Some big names in the field such as Walt Disney’s Maker studio and Collective digital studio have already uploaded some top YouTube series for testing on Facebook. Collective has posted its animated viral hit The annoying orange on the social network. Users can watch the videos in their News Feed and on individual’s creator page.

Facebook spokeswoman said, “Our partnerships team regularly has conversations with content creators about how to best utilize all of Facebook’s offerings, video included.” She added that other than that the company has nothing to share at this time.

The Menlo Park-based company is in talks with the video content creators over the method in which the advertising should be added to the video, says the WSJ citing a source familiar with the development. Adam Dornbusch, head of programming at the action sports camera maker GoPro, noted that his company is in regular touch with Facebook over the video feature. According to Dornbusch he is not aware of Facebook’s plans at this stage, but is definite that video ads are “definitely in their wheelhouse.”

Will Facebook topple YouTube?

The social networking site is looking to expand and become a level player in the video segment by attracting more content on its site, says the WSJ citing those familiar with the situation. At present, the content creators use Facebook as a channel to promote their videos, but prefer YouTube for people to watch, where they can earn revenue through ad sales easily. Dean Alms, vice president of strategy for Milyoni, said that Facebook would prefer users to watch the video on the site itself instead of switching to YouTube for watching.

If Facebook hits the target with its video feature, it can eat into the YouTube dominance over the online video ad market, where the latter holds 20% of the market, according to eMarketer. Gartner analyst Mike McGuire believe it is not an easy task for Facebook to topple YouTube’s position in the video as Google’s product has evolved itself and improved continuously.

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