Just over a year ago, Facebook announced a video streaming platform called Watch. At the time, it was restricted to those in the United States. Now, however, the service is beginning to roll out worldwide. The service is a competitor to the likes of YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer, and Instagram TV.
Discussing Watch, Facebook’s Head of Video, Fidji Simo, said:
“Every month more than 50 million people in the U.S. come to watch videos for at least a minute on Watch, and total time spent watching video on Facebook Watch has increased by 14 times since the start of 2018. With Watch ... you can have a two-way conversation about the content with friends, other fans or even the creatives themselves.”
In addition to the global launch, producers based in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. will be able to start making money from their videos using a feature called Ad Breaks. Simo said that the firm has worked hard to ensure that Ad Breaks delivers a good experience for partners and the community. The revenue from Ad Breaks is split 55% to the content creator, and 45% to Facebook.
Lastly, Simo said that Facebook was working on ways to boost revenues for creators. She said that the social media giant was looking into offering branded content as well as user subscriptions. In fact, she said that subscriptions have already rolled out to a select few creators and that the programme will expand soon.
Source: Reuters
