Nowadays, just about every tech titan has an on-demand video streaming service (or one on the way). Amazon has Amazon Prime Video, Apple is preparing to launch Apple TV+, and Facebook has Facebook Watch. Yep, you read that right — Facebook has a streaming platform of its own, and it’s filled to the brim with original content, with some network material thrown in for good measure. Here’s the low-down.
Facebook Watch is an on-demand video service that specializes in original content, created in tandem with actors, celebrities, and influencers. The whole intention is to create content that’s shareable, material that people would become engrossed in and have to share with their friends — a bit like when you stumble upon a meme. And it’s with those social-driven views that the firm is hoping to turn a profit.
Unlike Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, Facebook Watch is free to use. The catch? It’s riddled with ads. That’s why Facebook is putting viral content first, teaming up with the likes of survivalist Bare Gylls and comedian Nicole Byer to churn out episodes of unique shows that have the potential to pop up everywhere as they garner comments, likes, and shares. The same applies to educational material.
That’s not to mean there isn’t network material on Facebook Watch, though — because there is. Back in November, the firm signed a deal with 20th Century Fox Television that saw Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly added to its collection. Just don’t expect to fire it up and find top-tier titles like Breaking Bad, Chernobyl, Friends, and other cryptically-acclaimed material waiting for you. It’s free, after all.
Instead, you’re going to find dystopian fiction, hilarious comedies, and gripping documentaries on Facebook Watch — and that’s what it’s been designed to stock. It all comes back to the viral aspect; the material has been carefully curated, or commissioned, to drive a discussion, in order to fuel more views, and print more cash for the social behemoth, which aims to make $12 billion from the platform by 2022.
You can tune into Facebook Watch on just about every device you can imagine, including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and Samsung Smart TVs. It’s also available on Android and iOS. On the first wave of devices, you’re going to need to download the dedicated Facebook Watch client, whereas it’s a lot easier to access on Android and iOS — just fire up Facebook and head into the Watch section.
Once you’ve assembled your portal into the world of Facebook Watch, all that’s left to do is sign in to your Facebook account. Again, since you don’t need a subscription to view the content, you don’t have to hand over any credit card information. Just enter your email address or password — or create a Facebook account if you don’t already have one — then you’re ready to roll.
There’s a lot of material on Facebook Watch, with the most-raved-about offerings being Bear Grylls: Face the Wild, Humans of New York: The Series, Loosely Exactly Nicole, and The Mind of a Chef, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag — you’ll have to spend some time digging through the catalog to find a gem that peaks your interest. For the monthly price of absolutely nothing, though, it’s well worth the digging.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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