The rise of Facebook Watch: From experiments to future hits

Fiona the hippo has a TV show. You won’t find it on Animal Planet, and don’t bother searching for it on Netflix. The seven-episode (plus a Christmas special) series is one of the most popular series on Facebook Watch. 

What is Facebook Watch? To most users, it’s that TV-shaped icon in the menu at the bottom of the app. In reality, it’s Facebook’s big video play, an attempt to cultivate original programming exclusive to the social network, and maybe take a bite out of Netflix, YouTube, and even TV while doing so.

In a conversation with Mashable, one partner jokingly — but tellingly — called the new-ish Facebook video platform “Un-Watch-able,” seemingly a reference to poor viewership figures. But while some publishers have struggled to see traction in their video series, others like Cincinnati Zoo’s The Fiona Show have attracted millions of viewers since Watch’s debut at the end of summer 2017. Read more…

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