Facebook Watch Now Streaming ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer,’ ‘Angel’ And ‘Firefly’

Facebook Watch, the social network’s own video-on-demand service, is now streaming all episodes of three classic TV series. The shows were made available to stream on Facebook Watch last week as part of the company’s deal with 20th Century Fox Television.

The three shows that were made available to stream for free on Facebook Watch are all Joss Whedon-created TV series: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” its spin-off “Angel” and the sci-fi show “Firefly.” All three have their own dedicated webpages and all 268 episodes of the shows were made available to watch starting on Friday, Nov. 30, only in the U.S. This was made possible through a licensing deal with 20th Century Fox Television.

All of the shows are free to stream on Facebook Watch, which the company believes will drive up watch time on its platform. Video has been a huge focus for Facebook in recent years and it’s been trying hard to compete directly with YouTube. Facebook Watch was initially supposed to be for original programming when it launched last year, but that has changed significantly. The social network has opened up Facebook Watch to include its exclusive shows and other regular video clips. Independent creators are also allowed to publish their own content, and they can earn money through ad revenues.

The arrival of the three shows on Facebook Watch was also timed quite well. Early last week, the social network made its Watch Party feature available to all of its users. Watch Party is a video viewing feature that lets friends watch together at the same time. The company is hoping that these shows will encourage a lot of its users to start having Watch Parties.

“What we’ve been focused on Watch is building a people-centric video platform, creating a social viewing experience where you can connect with other people who love the shows, and even the creatives who worked on them,” Facebook’s head of content planning and strategy for media partnerships Matthew Hennick said, as per Variety.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Firefly” are not exclusive to Facebook Watch. All three shows are also available through Hulu’s subscription service. When asked if Facebook Watch is getting more shows, Hennick said that they don’t have “a huge licensing plan… We have a balanced portfolio.” He also said that Facebook’s deal with 20th Century Fox is “part of our larger strategy” and that they “have lots of different ways to get content onto the platform.”

The addition of these shows in Facebook Watch also reflects a shift in the social network’s strategy when it comes to its target market. Instead of just targeting teens and millennials, Facebook appears to be eager to capture older audiences by getting classic content that already have an established fanbase, as pointed out by Business Insider.