Facebook is soon going to launch a new feature called “Watch,” which is going to disrupt the online advertising market. On the Watch tab of Facebook, several dozen original shows will start rolling out on mobile, desktop and Facebook’s TV apps.
In addition to the Watch tab, there will be another feature called “Watchlist” where users can keep track of their favorite shows or list of programs and when these will be streamed on the platform. There is another value added feature, like a newsletter, which allows users to subscribe for updates on new episodes of their favorite shows. Publishers share their shows to the news feed to help people discover them. The Watch feature is also going to be personalized. It will help users to discover shows, which are relevant to their interests with suggestions based on what Facebook communities are watching. It includes both live and recorded shows, so users can choose as per convenience.
During the broadcasts it will allow users to ‘like’ and comment as well as play the content via web, iOS, Android and Apple TV. They can join groups with people who like the same shows, and build a community. Before spreading globally, Facebook plans to roll out access to Watch for more users in the United States. A new video hub will be added, using a TV-shaped Watch button in the navigation bar at the bottom of Facebook’s main app.
Facebook’s shows will range from live event coverage to reality TV to scripted program. There will be a long list of categories of shows to view. When you open Watch, you can scroll through, and alternately, you can check any notification about some new program. Once you’ve opened an episode you’ll see all the details about it, with one tab for joining a live comment reel with other viewers, and an “Up Next” tab displaying the names of the programs after the current episode.