Facebook has launched a new Video app on the Apple TV. The social media giant had already identified videos as one of its priority areas, and the launch of the new app dedicated exclusively to videos can well be considered to be in line with that. The app will be compatible with only the fourth-gen Apple TV.
The new app that allows you to view the videos in a big screen will also enable Facebook to emerge as a competitor to YouTube, something that the company wishes to see itself to shape into in future. Facebook’s VP of Partnerships Dan Rose had earlier announced such an app for viewing videos being in the works though a similar app for Android should also be in the making. Dan, though, is yet to confirm any such plans.
Meanwhile, as should be already discernible, the app will be good for viewing only videos and will carry none of the news feeds or photos that you can see on the regular Facebook app. The Video app will have six sections – Shared by Friends, Top Live Videos, Following, Recommended for You as well as Saved Videos and Recently Watched. You will also be able to visit a particular page to view videos shared by them.
There also are reports of Facebook trying to forge an agreement with MLB to have one baseball game to stream on the app every week. However, nothing definitive has emerged on that so far. That said, there will no doubt be similar efforts to source more exclusive live content to stream on the Facebook Video app.
Facebook will also be recommending the more popular live streams based on what you like and viewing tendency. The social media giant already has extensive knowledge of our likes and preferences and populating the recommended section will never be an issue for them.
The Video app is available for free from the tvOS App Store even though it won’t function as a standalone app. Instead, the app would very well be part of Facebook for iOS and requires an active Facebook account for its operation. Dan also stated the app won’t carry any ads as of now though that again is a tested method to rake in popularity during the initial stages.
