Facebook is spending almost $1bn on original content to enable its video streaming service Watch to compete with the likes of iPlayer, Netflix and Google's YouTube. As well as hosting shows by broadcasters including Fox News, Buzzfeed and Vice, Watch will include Watch Party, an interactive feature similar to Amazon’s Twitch, and will show mid-roll ads in the same way as TV. The deal comes after a year of negotiations between Facebook, Google and other media companies over how best to monetise their content.
Facebook is spending almost $1bn on original content to enable its video streaming service Watch to compete with the likes of iPlayer, Netflix and Google's YouTube. As well as hosting shows by broadcasters including Fox News, Buzzfeed and Vice, Watch will include Watch Party, an interactive feature similar to Amazon’s Twitch, and will show mid-roll ads in the same way as TV. Facebook said 70% of ads on the social media site are viewed until the end, offering promising audiences for marketers.