Hands up if you think that this is a good idea: Facebook is reportedly getting into the TV game by releasing its very own set of TV shows come June this year. At least that’s the word according to a Business Insider report which claims that Facebook is coming for the time that you don’t already spend browsing the social network.
This is all unconfirmed (which means Facebook just isn’t saying anything right now) but reports claim that Facebook has around 24 shows in the works which will premiere some time in June this year. Information about the shows is very sketchy but the company is thought to have a few high-end shows (think Netflix Original-style quality) as well as a mess of shorter, more easily consumed offerings.
The idea that Facebook might branch into original streaming media isn’t all that far fetched. They’ve already got the information that they need to make a hit TV show (you all gave it to them) — even if that seems like it might result in one of the oddest shows on the planet. They’ve got the eyeballs and that Facebook Video (if you’re not counting Facebook Live) thing seems to be working for them right now. It’s mostly a question of how they’re going to make money out of making original entertainment, something that Facebook… just isn’t that experienced at.
The company might be keeping mum right now but they’ve pointed out previous statements around their video ambitions, including the fact that “…we are funding some seed video content from our partners, and are evolving the initial Live deals to include other types of video content we’d like to experiment with.” Which leave the door open to some original programming. If it’s good enough we’ll probably have to purchase a Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and just live inside there until the robots find a way to turn us into batteries.
Source: Business Insider via Engadget