Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Report: Facebook plans to invade your TV screen with its new video app

Saqib Shah
By

facebook messenger lite apple ios macbook iphone 4 5 6 app
Panithan Fakseemuang/123rf
Facebook is heading to a TV screen near you, but probably not in its traditional form. The company is developing a video-centric app for television set-top boxes (including Apple TV), according to anonymous sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.

The planned app will reportedly be all video, and could see Facebook insert multiple 30-second ads into its content, depending on a clip’s duration.

Recommended Videos

From a viewer’s perspective, at this early stage, the venture raises more questions than answers, primarily in regard to the type of video programming the app will provide. The most recent internal rumblings suggest the company has tasked exec Ricky Van Veen (co-founder of comedy website CollegeHumor) to license content and original shows from TV studios and other production outfits. Facebook also recently updated its News Feed to prioritize longer videos with high engagement rates, which was seen by some as an incentive to Pages to create more professional content. These longer videos could also make it on to the app, allowing Facebook and publishers to earn revenue through its recently launched mid-roll ads offering.

Related

Even more critically, the move would see Facebook take on VOD giants Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (not to mention additional competitors YouTube Red and Twitter), leaving little space for it to differentiate itself from its rivals.

As a commercial tech company — with its fourth quarter earnings report scheduled for Wednesday — Facebook reportedly wants to capitalize on the video advertising revenue such a venture offers. Notably, its previous earnings call in November, sent its stock tumbling on the revelation that it is running out of ad space on its News Feed. A slice of the United States’ $70 billion TV advertising pie would go a long way in solving that issue.

In terms of digital advertising, Facebook is second only to Google thanks to its Audience Network tool, used to create third-party ads for mobile apps and websites. In November, Facebook confirmed that it was also extending the program to Apple TV and Roku apps. For marketers, the major advantage of tapping into the company’s advertising tool are the insights it offers, resulting in targeted ads that are more relevant to users’ interests.

If Facebook decides to stick with a free video app — instead of introducing a subscription-model in the vein of Netflix or Amazon Prime — it could also tie it into a user’s social network account to further cater the advertising experience to their preferences. It’s enough to make businesses hand over their money right away.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Saqib Shah
Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
Amazon Prime Video offers streaming of new theatrical releases
amazon prime video streaming new releases in theater movies 2020

With cinemas around the world closed indefinitely due to the global outbreak of coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, some movies are being released for at-home streaming while they are still showing in theaters. This week, Amazon Prime Video has unveiled its new page and branding for these releases, which it is calling "in-theater rentals."

The most recent releases available to be watched at home include Pixar's Onward, horror remake The Invisible Man, period drama Emma, and action thriller The Hunt. Renting these in-theater movies in high definition costs $20, which isn't cheap, but isn't so far from the price of a movie ticket in many regions. The in-theater rentals seem to only be available in the U.S. for now, so international moviegoers will have to wait to see these releases.

Read more
Apple TV app hits Amazon Fire TV devices in preparation for Apple TV+ launch
apple tv app on amazon fire plus launch

There's nothing quite like a deadline to get things moving. With one week to go before the official launch of Apple TV+, Apple added its TV app to Amazon's Fire TV platform. Available starting October 24 for both the Fire TV Stick (second generation) and Fire TV Stick 4K, the Apple TV app will also be making its way to other Fire TV devices in the coming weeks.

Apple's TV app gives users access to a single environment in which they can stream video content from a wide variety of sources, including any previous iTunes purchases stored in iCloud. But the biggest reason Apple has to put its TV app on as many devices as possible is that it's the exclusive home of Apple TV+, the company's soon-to-launch $5 per month video streaming service.

Read more
The hottest new series and seasons streaming in November 2019
the witcher vs mandalorian no wrong way to stream star wars

With the highly anticipated launches of both Apple TV+ and Disney+, November is shaping up to be a massive month in television streaming. Not only will exciting new series be released through these services, but existing streaming platforms like HBO, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix will also be launching new shows and serving up fresh seasons of popular series.

There’s something for everyone, from sci-fi to drama to comedy. Here’s a look at some of the most anticipated series that will begin streaming in November 2019.
Dickinson (Apple TV+)
Dickinson — Official Teaser Trailer | Apple TV+

Read more