Facebook is apparently testing a new feature called “Premieres” on its platform. The premise here is pretty simple. It’s going to allow creators to upload a video, but let it be treated as a live video, with a live feed and everything. Something that Twitch has been doing already, and it’s another feature that Facebook is looking to grab from a competitor and add to its platform. The thing here is that users will be able to watch these videos whenever they want, while still feeling like it’s happening live. Instead of having to rush to watch the video right then when it goes live.
This feature really isn’t original, but that’s not going to stop Facebook or its users from using this feature. It is however, a great idea to implement, especially as the company is pushing towards Watch Originals. Watch is Facebook’s platform for original content, where it has had a number of partners already. Including the WWE, NBA, Lavar Ball and many other publishers. It’s essentially Facebook’s own YouTube built into the social media platform. And now with this Premiere feature, it should bring in even more users. Facebook Live already has had over 3.5 billion streams to date, so with Facebook Premieres, video should get even more attention on the site.
Over the past year or so, Facebook has been jumping into video so that it can drive in more users and keep them on the site longer. But also because video ads pay more then regular text ads. So it is essentially a revenue growth move for the company, but Facebook isn’t alone here. Many other sites are moving towards being much more video heavy, including Twitter and of course Snapchat is all about video. And the idea is the same for all of these platforms, video ads equal more cash. Facebook Premiere is available now for a small group of users, including creators and publishers. Facebook says that it will be expanding in the next few weeks and months, and will soon be available to everyone.