Facebook has announced a new section on its app and desktop website where its partners can now showcase their original video content. Simply called Watch, the new feature is a section inside Facebook where users are able to browse Facebook’s original programming.

“We’re introducing Watch, a new platform for shows on Facebook. Watch will be available on mobile, on desktop and laptop, and in our TV apps,” Facebook said on its Newsroom. “Shows are made up of episodes — live or recorded — and follow a theme or storyline. To help you keep up with the shows you follow, Watch has a Watchlist so you never miss out on the latest episodes.”

Facebook’s Watch will have a variety of different shows, including live ones featuring hosts and live events like Major League Baseball, according to Business Insider. Facebook is also believed to be trying to get more of premium content like traditional TV shows.

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Confirmed Shows For Facebook’s Watch:

  • Nas Daily - a daily show featuring 1-minute clips from around the world.
  • Gabby Bernstein - a combination of recorded and live episodes from the New York Times bestselling author of the same name.
  • Kitchen Little - a cooking show produced by Tastemade featuring kids who will watch instructional cooking videos and teach professional chefs how to cook the recipe.
  • Major League Baseball - MLB will be broadcasting a game every week on Facebook Watch.

“We’ll be introducing Watch to a limited group of people in the U.S. and plan to bring the experience to more people soon,” Facebook said. “Similarly, we’ll be opening up Shows to a limited group of creators and plan to roll out to all soon.”

Some of the shows will be available right away to a small percentage of users, while 40 shows will be included as part of Facebook’s scheduled programming that’s scheduled to begin on Aug. 28. Facebook has also funded some shows for Watch, like “Returning the Favor,” a show hosted by Mike Rowe.

“We hope Watch will be home to a wide range of shows -- from reality to comedy to live sports,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post. “Some will be made by professional creators, and others from regular people in our community.”

Content in Facebook Watch will be personalized based on what a user’s friends and communities are watching. Watch will have three sections: Most Talked About, What’s Making People Laugh and What Friends Are Watching. Most Talked About will highlight shows and content that are currently gaining attention, while What's Making People Laugh will have shows that many people have reacted to using the “Haha” reaction.

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“We’ve learned from Facebook Live that people’s comments and reactions to a video are often as much a part of the experience as the video itself,” Facebook said. “So when you watch a show, you can see comments and connect with friends and other viewers while watching, or participate in a dedicated Facebook Group for the show.”

Facebook’s hoping to turn its social media platform as a new source of hosting original video content, and in turn create a new stream of ad revenue for the company. This might also be seen as Facebook’s attempt to fight off rivals like YouTube, which already has a rich variety of video content that's being made by professional creators and even those who are just starting out.

Facebook’s News Feed is a great place for watching short videos, but it hasn’t really offered a dedicated video section for original content. Facebook’s real challenge is that in needs to prove that its users are actually interested in watching longer videos with accompanying mid-roll ads, as pointed out by The Verge.

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