Facebook working on video-focused app for Apple TV and other set-top boxes

A Facebook video app could soon be arriving on Apple TV and other set-top boxes. It’s just one of the projects the social network is working on in its quest to become a “video-first” company, according to The Wall Street Journal.
 
The unnamed app could include long-form “TV-like” content of up to 10 minutes in length. It could feature scripted shows, sports, and entertainment content created specifically for the platform.
 
This being Facebook, you can also expect the new app to include plenty of video ads as well. As The Wall Street Journal notes:
 
Facebook has vowed to avoid pre-roll video ads, the spots popular on YouTube, because it believes it would turn users off. Earlier this month, Facebook began testing “mid-roll” ads—a format that recalls a typical TV spot—in the middle of live videos, and plans to introduce them in all videos. The ads will be 15 seconds long, and will only appear after a video is played for at least 20 seconds, according to media executives briefed by Facebook.
 
In recent months, Facebook has increasingly embraced more video content across its properties. Just last week, for example, Business Insider reported that the company was testing its Facebook Stories feature on mobile. The media montage feature is already popular on Facebook’s Instagram app.
 
In December, Facebook updated its Messenger app to support group video chat. The change came just days after the introduction of an in-app camera feature in the popular messaging app.
 
I have no doubt Facebook video will find success on Apple TV and other set-top boxes. My biggest concern is what this could mean for smaller video-based apps such as Hyper and Great Big Story.

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