Facebook’s video streaming platform Watch is now rolling out globally, the company announced Wednesday. After a year-long test limited to the United States, the service that the firm is hoping will eventually rival YouTube and help improve its user retention rates will soon be available to all of its users around the globe, providing them with a streamlined hub for discovering new video content and returning to content creators they know and follow. The rollout of Watch is gradual in nature and may take several days to be completed, though most users should be able to access the service in a matter of hours, provided they can’t already do so.
Watch is presently limited to TV platforms and mobile versions of Facebook, i.e. the company’s official apps for Android and iOS. Accessing the platform from one’s smartphone or tablet is as simple as tapping the “More” hamburger menu in the top-right corner of the screen (just below the Messenger icon) and tapping the “Watch” option which should be located between Facebook’s Marketplace and Events tools. Simultaneously with the global release of the new video hub, Facebook is expanding its Ad Breaks program so as to allow more content creators to make money from their filmmaking endeavors. The move marks the second occasion on which Facebook provided more monetization opportunities to its community, having already done so by ceding its cut of Instant Games revenue on Android last Week.
Besides Android and iOS, Facebook Watch can also be accessed via Android TV, Oculus TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, and Apple TV devices. The service reportedly had a rough start in the U.S. and isn’t expected to turn a profit in the immediate future, though Facebook is hoping it will at least boost its user engagement rates that have been hit with the firm’s recent efforts aimed at combating misinformation and low-quality content.