Facebook announced on Tuesday that they will be launching their very own television App. With the launch of this App, Facebook could be better set to compete with traditional television channels and other video services such as YouTube for advertising revenue.
The App which will be available from app stores for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV, with more platforms to come, is a way for the social networking site to provide users with more options on how and where they can watch Facebook videos.
In a statement by the company on their website, Dana Sittler, Product Manager, and Alex Li, Engineering Manager said that “Our video app for TV is a new way to enjoy Facebook videos on a bigger screen. Last year we rolled out the ability for you to stream videos from Facebook to your TV, and today’s announcement expands this capability. With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or Pages you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests. You can also catch up on videos you’ve saved to watch later, as well as revisit videos you’ve watched, shared or uploaded.”
In their announcement the company also highlighted updates to their current system that include the ability to watch and scroll, allowing users to minimise a video and continue watching it while scrolling through their feed. Another update will see changes made to vertical videos, improving the look of videos on mobile devices and bringing sound to the videos in the news feed.
Facebook has said that the stand alone TV app will be available “soon”
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