The world of streaming television is set to become a little bit bigger this year thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and the folks over at Facebook. According to multiple reports published this week, the popular social media network is readying a slew of original content, including 24 shows set to launch mid-June. It’s quite the power move from a company who has played catch up as of late – you may recall Facebook implementing a Snapchat-like “stories” feature this past March.
A potential premium video service became a hot rumour in 2016, and was quickly confirmed when Facebook hired CollegeHumor co-founder Ricky Van Veen last June. Van Veen had previously gushed about his soon-to-be boss, calling Zuckerberg the “most powerful person in the world” during a Re/code podcast in 2015. Following his full-time appointment to Facebook, Van Veen was tasked with heading up the company’s first batch of premium television with the help of former MTV executive, Mina Lefevre.
Ricky Van Veen did manage to spill some beans regarding what sort of television users can come to expect on Facebook in the near future. The website and app will likely offer original and licensed scripted and unscripted shows, as well as live sports broadcasts. This may put the new streaming service at a slight advantage over providers like Netflix, who have yet to implement live programming of any sort.
Facebook also sent out a public job listing last week, looking for an A-list producer to begin work on feature-length films. This bit of news, along with the impending onslaught of original television shows, puts Facebook in a prime position to compete with the heavy-hitters in online streaming. Of course, what remains to be seen is the quality of the shows themselves, which will have the opportunity to make or break the entire operation next month.
