Facebook Tunes Into Television’s Market

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Facebook started as an advertisement free social media platform and it stayed true to this thought for a relatively longer but very soon the reality caught up with them. Currently Facebook earns millions of dollars each day through a very carefully installed ad network on its social media platform. Facebook ambitions are growing by leaps and bounds as it looks forward to enlarge its ad revenue in upcoming future. As per the report published in The Wall Street Journal Facebook is set on building a TV app which will work with the set-top boxes just like Apple TV.

Advantages of developing TV app

This particular TV app will help Facebook in encouraging the users in watching longer videos which has been eventual goal of the company. Facebook has plans to start testing of themed-roll ads which will play right in the middle of the videos present on its network. In similar fashion these kinds of ads will appear in the TV app as well over the time. Facebook has not made any official confirmation of going into the TV network with an app or bringing its own advertisement in such a manner for now.

Facebook plans to bring longer videos in the News Feed

So far Facebook has ensured that the users on its platform are not bothered with the longer videos on their News Feed but very soon this will be thing of past. Facebook will start prioritizing the longer videos right in the News Feed to generate more ad revenue. In order to bring longer videos it will first weigh on the percent completion or how much video is watch was user before they go away. In this manner the longer videos which are able to keep users engaged for large amount of time will find its way in the News Feed.

Facebook is actively making a series of tweaks in the News Feed algorithm which will help advertisers, content developers and publishers to push their content in the News Feed. Facebook is effectively trying to understand the user’s behavior or community as whole to bring more engaging content on the platform rather than indulging in penalizing the longer videos.

Why Facebook is developing a TV app? 

Facebook is expected to establish itself as YouTube video streaming platform wherein it has plans to first populate the platform with large videos then encourage content developers in delivering quality content on regular basis. It has been reported that Facebook has been in talks with a number of media companies to develop as well license a number of long form or TV style content which will range from scripted shows to entertainment as well as sports videos.

In simple words this app will establish Facebook as a serious leader in the streaming market wherein it will be able to distribute its new content along with the TV style advertisements in future. Facebook will certainly go ahead with its plans of asking higher price from the content developers, advertisers and other in future for displaying ads on the users news feeds.