Facebook launched its foray into TV-like programming Thursday with its updated videos section, now named Watch.
The platform has only been rolled out to a limited group of people in the U.S., but will expand to more of Facebook’s 2 billion users later this year.
With Watch, Facebook has dabbled with short, episodic, original programming that it hopes will make viewing a more community-oriented experience.
“Watching a show doesn’t have to be passive,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in a Facebook post. “It can be a chance to share an experience and bring people together who care about the same things.”
Instead of just a stream of videos, Watch is categorized by sections like “Most Talked About,” “What Friends are Watching,” and “What’s Making People Laugh,” which is based on how many people clicked the “haha” reaction button. It also has a watchlist that allows users to save specific shows and receive notifications when new episodes are added.
“Watch is a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work,” Daniel Danker, director of product, comments in a blog post announcing the launch.
Danker says Facebook believes Watch will “be home to a wide range of shows, from reality to comedy to live sports.”
Examples of shows Danker listed include one hosted by author and motivational speaker Gabby Bernstein, and Tastemade’s “Kitchen Little,” which is about children instructing professional chefs on how to make a recipe. He also noted Watch will feature a weekly Major League Baseball game.
Earlier reports said Facebook would initially introduce short-form, inexpensive programs, with higher end shows to follow later. Bloomberg previously said that the social media giant aims to achieve higher quality than YouTube, but not necessarily programming that’s competitive with the likes of Netflix.
