Facebook is not kidding when they say that they are a video first company. Facebook recently announced a soon to be app that will allow users to stream videos on their TV’s.

So How Will This Work?

It seems pretty basic. So this is a way to broadcast whatever videos you see in your feed, or say a live video from Facebook. You can basically opt to view it via an internet capable tv. Sort of like a new, big screen version of your video.

It can be done through a set top box, so a device like an Apple TV or a Fire TV from amazon or it can be done through any samsung smart TV.

Facebook is investing in video

Facebook recently announced plans to work with publishing partners to create longer form videos and roll out TV style content. Can we assume that’s part of this new app? Yeah, I mean a couple of weeks ago Facebook broke the story about the development of this particular set top box app, but also on Facebook’s more longer term ambitions around video and Tv.

They are investing in original content, they want more long form content and eventually they want Facebook to be a place where you not only go to see what your friends are up to or get some headlines but a place where you go to watch and consume content and really just watch video.

Why is Facebook Investing in Video?

Facebook is a company that depends heavily on user engagement.

This raises the question is there enough evidence to suggest that this is where the money is? Is this how you get people to engage more which is through video? The answer is yes.

What Facebook has seen is that video heightens engagement in a way that almost no other format does. People tend to spend more time on video, people tend to watch more video. And that’s not just a Facebook finding, all these social platforms have found that video is a way to keep users engaged, and these companies want that.

They want more people to be on their platforms for longer, and video is a great way to do that.

But what they also want is money because another crucial part of business, a crucial part of any business, is making money.

Why is Facebook Moving to TV?

There’s a huge pot of TV ad dollars out there in the world and Facebook and Google want in on it.

The reason being is that you can better sell video ads against television style content, against longer form video content, and that’s where Facebook is coming from.

They want to be able to draw this content onto the platform because people watch it, people like it, talk about it, share it and with that comes TV style ads that could get them a lot more money. And with the set top box app you can imagine that if you’re watching facebook videos on your tv screen and it’s good content and you’re sitting there for 30+ mins you’re going to be able to tolerate some ads.

How are Facebook Attracting More Advertisers?

With this new news of Facebook’s tv app comes some recent changes that facebook made also.

The biggest change they’ve made is to sound. Now, unless your phone’s on silent, when you scroll through your feed sound will now come on automatically. It’s something you can change in the settings but for now Facebook really wants people to listen and watch these videos with the sound on. And this has previously been a big sticking point among Facebook advertisers.

Advertisers love the idea of sound on, which is something snapchat does very well, so if Facebook automatically turns on sound it’s great because advertisers are more interested in a platform where they have the chance to draw in a user through sound or music.

Conclusion

So as far as a stand alone video app, is there an appetite for this kind of consumption? Is it too early to really tell yet?

Because it’s still relatively a new frontier here it’s not as though it’s growing incredibly fast. People like it, I think that it’s another platform but Facebook, and they’ve officially announced it, talked about the television screen as just another screen. They want to be where people are and people watch a ton of TV.

They don’t necessarily use top boxes all the time so FB just see’s TV as another lucrative and useful screen to have but not the be all and end all.

What is your opinion on Facebook moving to television? Do you think people will adopt the app? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below.