Facebook will add a Watch section for breaking news videos


Facebook may be downplaying news in your actual News Feed, but its Watch team is headed in the opposite direction. The social network has announced that it's creating a section in Watch that will feature breaking news stories. News partnership lead Campbell Brown didn't say when it would launch or which outlets would show up, but it recently said the News Feed would prioritize local stories. The Watch tab could easily follow suit.

There are a few reasons why Facebook might push news videos even as it reduces its emphasis on shared articles. First and foremost, of course, is money. While you may not see many original news pieces on Watch (which would give Facebook a 45 percent cut of ad revenue), this could keep many people on Facebook and thus viewing ads. When Snapchat and YouTube are big news sources for some users, Facebook might not want to risk ceding any ground. There's also a chance that this could filter out some fake news, although bogus videos certainly aren't unheard of.

Whatever the reasons, this will expand Watch's role. Most of Facebook's recent energy has been spent on securing original entertainment programming -- this pushes it closer to a balance between fun and informative material. You may have a reason to come back even if you don't care for dramas or sports.

Source: TechCrunch

via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2sm8OaM"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Read more