Last week, Facebook announced its newest service: Facebook Watch, which lets you watch original videos on Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook announced on his Facebook page that the service will be coming soon.
Facebook Watch is a streaming video service, like Netflix.
Facebook Watch also is similar to traditional television in that shows will be scheduled. You can watch shows as they are added each week at a certain day and time, just like traditional TV.
This video from Facebook introduces Facebook Watch:
Facebook Watch is free. Some shows will have advertisements, however.
What you can watch on Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch will include news, entertainment, sports, cooking and reality programs. Some shows will be broadcast live while others will be recorded. Facebook plans to have hundreds of shows available at first; up to thousands of shows later.
Major League Baseball will be showing one game a week on Facebook Watch. Other shows will come from sites such as A&E, Mashable, National Public Radio (NPR), NASA, and National Geographic.
One example of a new Facebook Watch show is Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe. Rowe will visit towns where people are doing extraordinary things. Then he will do something extraordinary for them, in return.
You can suggest people to be included on the show by posting on Mike Rowe's Facebook page.
Facebook Watch is social
Unlike other streaming media or traditional TV, Facebook Watch has social features that can help users connect with others. Mark Zuckerberg said, "It can be a chance to share an experience and bring people together who care about the same things."
Users will be able to add comments on Facebook as they watch. They can discuss a show with their friends as it is broadcast.
Shows on Facebook Watch will include fan groups that Facebook users can join. In the groups, users can share their thoughts and connect with others to discuss the show.
Finding shows to watch
Facebook has added several ways to make it easy to find shows that interest you. Facebook Watch has a watchlist so you can remember to watch your favorite shows as soon as they become available.
There is also a Discover section to help find shows that might interest you.
Facebook Watch will suggest videos that your Facebook friends like. You will find them in the fittingly titled “What Your Friends Are Watching” section.
Additionally, users will see suggestions for videos popular across Facebook, in sections such as “Most Talked About” or “What's Making People Laugh.”
How to watch Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is now available to a small group of Facebook users in the United States. The group is helping to test for any problems in the service. When ready, Facebook Watch will become available to all users in the country. Later, it will be released to the entire Facebook world.
Facebook Watch can be used through Facebook's mobile app and website.
Look for a TV icon on Facebook to see whether you have Facebook Watch.
I’m Caty Weaver.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
Do you have Facebook Watch yet? Are you looking forward to watching shows on Facebook Watch? What would you like to watch on Facebook Watch?
Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
original - adj. made or produced first : not a copy, translation, etc.
streaming - adj. playing continuously as data is sent to a computer over the Internet
schedule - n. a list of the television or radio programs that are on a particular channel and the times that they begin
certain - adj. known for sure; established beyond doubt.
extraordinary - adj. extremely good or impressive
watchlist - n. a list of things to be monitored
