YouTube finally gets a real competitor

When it comes to online video, YouTube enjoys a monopoly position in the market. Google often uses YouTube to blackmail other companies as there are no real alternatives. Facebook Watch was launched last year as a hub to discover new videos on Facebook. Facebook today announced that Facebook Watch now has more than 720 million monthly users and 140 million daily users. This is a good start in my opinion. YouTube now enjoys over 1.9 billion monthly users and I’m sure Facebook Watch will be able to reach this number in a couple of years.

Facebook is also investing in original content with its Facebook Watch Originals. In addition, it is partnering with publishers and creators around the world so that they can bring timely, relevant and entertaining videos to Facebook Watch. Read about the content partnerships below.

• Global Partnerships: We’re partnering with global publishers in entertainment, and sports to deliver a wide range of content that people want to talk about and form friendships around. ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany will bring a huge breadth of digital-first content to Watch — pre-shows, after-shows, interviews, and spin-offs — spanning their popular shows such as The Voice of Germany, Germany’s Next Top Model– by Heidi Klum, and Late Night Berlin. The International Cricket Council will make match previews, highlights, and insider commentary from every ICC Cricket World Cup match available in Watch. In Australia, Seven Studios will launch a slate of new original digital series — and Australian sporting codes NRL, AFL and Cricket Australia will showcase a range of sports content spanning match highlights, live original programs, wrap-ups, and more. And we’ll expand our News in Watch program internationally later this year.
• Facebook Watch Originals: Our Originals will continue to deliver immersive, social experiences with new seasons of fan-favorites and series debuts. Our adaptation of the iconic MTV’s The Real World premieres tomorrow in the US, Mexico and Thailand, and many other Originals are premiering this summer and fall — July: Human Discoveries (Premiere); August: Ball in the Family (Season 5), Curse of Akakor (Premiere), Five Points (Season 2), Huda Boss (Season 2); October: The Birch (Premiere), Limetown (Premiere), Sorry For Your Loss (Season 2). See our Media blog post for more details.
• Creator and Digital Publisher Collaborations: In March, we launched a program that connects creators with digital publishers, resulting in the creation of brand-new shows to debut on Facebook Watch. A number of these shows will be available in the coming months, including: Tastemade’s Sundays at Nonna’s featuring Ian Hecox (June), Whistle’s Globetrotter Gauntlet with the Harlem Globetrotters (June), The Players’ Tribune’s Generations featuring Megan Rapinoe and Lindsey Horan (June), Studio71’s Fetch Me A Date starring Jonathan Bennett and Dorothy Wang (July), and Buzzfeed’s Mi Quinceañera Come True featuring PeroLike (October).

Source: Facebook