Facebook is rolling out
its Watch video service globally one year after it launched in the United
States with original entertainment news and sports content to compete with
platforms like Alphabet Inc’s YouTube. Facebook’s Head of Video Fidji Simo said
Watch was gaining real momentum in a crowded marketplace because it was built
on the notion that watching videos could be a social activity. “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,” she told reporters. “With Watch … you can have a
two-way conversation about the content with friends, other fans or even the
creatives themselves.” Facebook said eligible creators would be able to make
money from their videos using its Ad Breaks service in Britain, Ireland,
Australia and New Zealand as well as the United States from Thursday, with many
more countries set to follow. Simo said publishers were making “meaningful
revenues” from its automated video advertising system on the platform, which
has featured shows such as beauty mogul Huda Kattan’s “Huda Boss” and live
“Major League Baseball” games. “We know it’s been a long road but we’ve worked
hard to ensure that the Ad Breaks experience is a good one for both our
partners and our community,” she said. Avoid fake news! Subscribe to the
Standard SMS service and receive factual, verified breaking news as it happens.
Text the word ‘NEWS’ to 22840 Ad revenue will be split 55 percent for the
content creator and 45 percent for Facebook, the same ratio as in the United
States, Simo said. Publishers need to have created three-minute videos that
have generated more than 30,000 one-minute views in total over the past two
months and must have 10,000 followers to participate in Ad Breaks, Facebook
said. Simo said Facebook was working on a variety of other options for creators
to make money, such as branded content and the ability for fans to directly
support their favorite creators through subscriptions. YouTube accounts linked to Iran “(Fan subscription) is
something that is rolled out to a few creators now, but we are planning on
expanding that program soon,” she said.
its Watch video service globally one year after it launched in the United
States with original entertainment news and sports content to compete with
platforms like Alphabet Inc’s YouTube. Facebook’s Head of Video Fidji Simo said
Watch was gaining real momentum in a crowded marketplace because it was built
on the notion that watching videos could be a social activity. “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,” she told reporters. “With Watch … you can have a
two-way conversation about the content with friends, other fans or even the
creatives themselves.” Facebook said eligible creators would be able to make
money from their videos using its Ad Breaks service in Britain, Ireland,
Australia and New Zealand as well as the United States from Thursday, with many
more countries set to follow. Simo said publishers were making “meaningful
revenues” from its automated video advertising system on the platform, which
has featured shows such as beauty mogul Huda Kattan’s “Huda Boss” and live
“Major League Baseball” games. “We know it’s been a long road but we’ve worked
hard to ensure that the Ad Breaks experience is a good one for both our
partners and our community,” she said. Avoid fake news! Subscribe to the
Standard SMS service and receive factual, verified breaking news as it happens.
Text the word ‘NEWS’ to 22840 Ad revenue will be split 55 percent for the
content creator and 45 percent for Facebook, the same ratio as in the United
States, Simo said. Publishers need to have created three-minute videos that
have generated more than 30,000 one-minute views in total over the past two
months and must have 10,000 followers to participate in Ad Breaks, Facebook
said. Simo said Facebook was working on a variety of other options for creators
to make money, such as branded content and the ability for fans to directly
support their favorite creators through subscriptions. YouTube accounts linked to Iran “(Fan subscription) is
something that is rolled out to a few creators now, but we are planning on
expanding that program soon,” she said.