Facebook Revamps Original Video Offering With A New Watch Tab

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Facebook is not leaving any stone unturned on its quest to become a topnotch tech company, and its latest venture is a redesigned video platform called Watch tab. Facebook’s Watch tab can be seen as a new TV-like rival to YouTube.

What Watch tab does

Facebook’s new tab for original video will help the company attract more dollars from television advertising. Initially, it will be available to selected users. Starting today, some users of the Facebook app for Android, iOS, and the web will notice that their current video tab has been replaced with the Watch tab.

In a blog post, Facebook’s director of product, Daniel Danker, said, “On Facebook, videos are discovered through friends and bring communities together. As more and more people enjoy this experience, we’ve learned that people like the serendipity of discovering videos in News Feed, but they also want a dedicated place they can go to watch videos.”

The Facebook Watch tab features original programming mostly financed by Facebook and content from other creators too, notes The Verge. Over time, the Watch tab will learn the likes and interests of users and make recommendations accordingly. Users will get frequent recommendations and reminders for live and recorded shows to watch. Recommendations will also be based on categories such as “Most Talked About,” “Shows Your Friends Are Watching” and “What’s Making People Laugh.”

Users will also be able to search for certain shows from specific publishers by looking at the posts they share. Users can also subscribe to updates on new episodes of their favorite shows using a feature called Watchlist. Another feature that links shows to Groups allows users to connect not only with each other but also with the shows’ creators, notes TechCrunch.

Rising importance of video

Viewers can enjoy many shows on the Watch tab, including Nas Daily, on which a creator makes videos with fans on a daily basis. Another show is Kitchen Little from publisher Tastemade. It is a cookery show on which children work with professional chefs on making delicious recipes. Tab also includes Gabby Bernstein, an interactive show from the motivational speaker.

Facebook partners that will produce content for Tab will get a 55% share of the ad break revenue, and the remaining will be kept by the social networking giant. Hosting original programming will boost Facebook’s ad revenue and also create more reasons for users to log into and check their News Feeds for interesting and unique content.

For a few years now, Facebook has been growing its video content portfolio. Mark Zuckerberg, who previously said that we’re entering a “golden age for live video,” sees the format as the future of his company.

Last year, the company added the new video tab which allows users to search for new video content based on their likes and preferences. In addition, Facebook Live, which makes it possible for people to broadcast themselves live over the internet and on the social network, is also being promoted heavily.

On Wednesday, Facebook shares closed down 0.03% at $171.18. Year to date, the stock is up almost 49%, while in the last year, they are up almost 37%.

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