TL;DR
Facebook is launching connected TV apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TV to compete with YouTube. The company is also introducing new video features, including playing videos with sound on by default and allowing users to watch videos while scrolling through their news feed.
Facebook loves videos and wants its users to easily be able to create, upload and consume their videos. According to a recent TechCrunch article , Facebook VP of partnerships Dan Rose announced that the company would be launching a series of apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV. The ability to stream Facebook on the TV is one part of the larger video strategy for Facebook.
A new feature for video on Facebook today is that videos will now play with sound on by default if your phone’s sound is set on. The social network will also no longer crop vertical video to accommodate the increasing amount of SnapChat videos that are uploaded. Lastly, users will no longer have to stop looking through their news feed to watch videos, because they will be able to pull a video to the side and continue watching and scrolling.
Facebook’s changes will continue to boost video production and viewership across mobile, desktop, and soon TV distribution.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on February 15, 2017. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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