Facebook’s original video platform will launch with Nas, Mike Rowe, and MLB

The new Watch platform will nurture original series and themed shows.

Facebook has been amping up its video efforts recently, particularly by acquiring rights to live sports and reportedly experimenting with its own original content. Now we have confirmation of that original content plus a new service from the company: Facebook Watch. According to a blog post by Facebook's Director of Product Daniel Danker, Watch is a new tab in Facebook that lets users view all kinds of original videos and shows on Facebook's mobile, desktop, and TV apps. These new shows are made of live and recorded episodes and all "follow a theme or storyline."

Watch will slowly roll out to users in the US, but for now it's limited to a small group of testers.

Let's take a look at how Watch is laid out in the Facebook app. According to the images in the blog post, Watch has its own tab, denoted with a YouTube-like play button icon, on the main menu next to the Feed tab. It's broken down into two main pages: Discover and Watchlist. The former is where users can find new shows to watch, either based on what they've watched before or what their friends and family are watching. Facebook explains that Watch is personalized in this way, and you'll get video and show suggestions under different headers like "Most Talked About" (which highlights shows that "spark a conversation") and "What's Making People Laugh" (which lists shows that many people have reacted to with the "Haha" reaction).

The Watchlist section is where all your saved shows go, essentially letting you follow shows you're interested in more closely. When you're viewing a show in Watch, the top half of the screen in the mobile app is taken up by the video player, while the bottom half can either show information about the show and episodes, comments that others have left on this particular episode, or "what's next" (what we presume to be the next episode of the show queued up to play). Much like Facebook Live, you can add your comments and reactions to episodes as you watch them.

So where's the video content on Watch coming from? Currently Facebook has some shows ready to go from sanctioned creators. The blog post lists shows including Nas Daily, in which the hip-hop recording artist makes videos with his fans from around the world; Kitchen Little by Tastemade, which follows kids instructing chefs how to make recipes; and Returning the Favor, a show hosted by Mike Rowe in which he gives back to people doing "extraordinary" things in their communities. Watch will also show one MLB game per week that users can watch in real-time for the foreseeable future. A report from TechCrunch also details a behind-the-scenes show about women's basketball players called WNBA All-Access that will premiere on Watch.

In a separate Media blog post, Facebook explains it's funding some shows on Watch to "help seed the ecosystem, gather feedback, and inspire others." This second blog post also explains a bit more about how creators can handle shows in the future. Anyone with a show on Watch can create a Show Page, which seems to be an official "about" page for the show where creators publish new episodes, explain what the show is all about, and connect with audiences. Creators and publishers will eventually be able to monetize their content as well, with ad breaks and a "branded content tag" to signal sponsored episodes. According to TechCrunch's report, creators will keep 55 percent of the ad revenue, while Facebook claims the other 45 percent.

A nod to YouTube?

Watch looks like Facebook's biggest challenge to YouTube yet, but there are some stark differences. Currently Watch is limited to a small group of publishers and creators, and it will only roll out to more US users in the coming weeks. However, it's unclear which kinds of creators can make shows for Watch going forward. Facebook's Media blog post says, "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." The post also cites show ideas like "weekly cooking shows" and "daily vlogs" as content that would be appropriate on Watch. But since currently original content creation is restricted to a certain group of people—mostly with famous names, professions, or skills attached to them—it's unclear if regular Facebook users like your siblings or friends from college will be able to make shows on Watch.
In it's current form, Watch isn't the same as YouTube since Facebook is weeding out who can create shows for the platform. It's like if YouTube had launched only with YouTube Red, which consists solely of content that has been commissioned and approved by YouTube. Once Watch completely rolls out, Facebook may open up creatorship to all users and then we can see how the quality of the original content changes. Currently, Facebook has an inquiry form for anyone interested in starting a Watch show, and anyone filling it out has to define a category that their show falls into and a category for themselves. Show categories include DIY, Animation, News, Relationships, Stunts, and others, while creator categories include "online video creator," "brand/advertiser," "sports organization," and more.

If and when anyone can be a Watch creator, there's also no telling how users' perception of Watch will evolve. Launching an original content platform only with content approved by the parent company undoubtedly sends a message to users about who and what this platform is for. That message seems distinctly different than YouTube's original message that anyone, anywhere could publish a video to the world at any time.