Introducing Watch and Shows on Facebook

Today we announced Watch, a new platform for shows on Facebook. More information can be found here.

Watch is comprised of shows, a new type of video on Facebook. Shows are made up of episodes – live or recorded – that follow a consistent theme or storyline. Shows are a great format if you want to share a video series, like a weekly cooking show, a daily vlog, or a set of videos with recurring characters or themes.

Our goal is for Watch to be a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work.

Initially, Watch will be available to a limited group of people in the U.S. on mobile, desktop, and our TV apps, before we make it available to more people in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Because we’re early with Watch, we’re starting by testing with a limited group of publishers and creators who are making shows. We are also funding some shows to help seed the ecosystem, gather feedback, and inspire others.

We're also introducing Show Pages to make it seamless to create a Facebook show and publish new episodes. Show Pages are organized in a way that makes it easy for people to understand what a show is all about, watch episodes and other related videos, and connect with communities that have formed around a show.

We think creating a show has a number of benefits, like the ability to reach a predictable and loyal audience. People will be able to follow the shows they like, and when there’s a new episode of a show, Facebook will inform the show’s followers and the episode will automatically appear in their Watchlist in Watch.

Over time, creators will be able to monetize their shows through in-stream ads. We've been testing in-stream ads over the past few months, and we will be slowly opening up availability to more creators to ensure we're providing a good experience for the community. Creators can also create sponsored shows using our branded content tag.